Category: This Necromancer Wants to Capture the Hearts of Deceased Beautiful Girls

Chapter 100: Driving Away the Two Necromancers

In truth, neither Fidia nor Shor had any intention of fighting Abyss to the bitter end anymore. They were merely using combat as a means to find an opportunity to escape.

Before coming here, their master had told them: because Abyss possessed the Sage’s Blood and was Glad’s sole direct disciple, his strength was not to be underestimated. If they couldn’t coerce him, the two of them alone couldn’t possibly defeat Abyss.

They only had two choices: flee or die at Abyss’s hands. While Abyss didn’t kill, his companions, especially the fiery Leona, had no such reservations.

As for why they couldn’t be captured alive by Abyss, it was because Abyss wouldn’t tolerate Necromancers who disregarded the tenets. He would very likely summon the undead they had enslaved and wronged, allowing them to seek vengeance. Both Fidia and Shor were mass murderers, each commanding an undead army. Facing the backlash of these undead was worse than a clean death. At least after death, according to the Necromancer’s tenets, Abyss might treat them with a modicum of respect.

Fidia, fully clad in armor, repeatedly clashed her broadsword against Abyss, who now inhabited Leona’s body. For some reason, Abyss focused his attacks solely on her, giving her no respite, as if harboring a deep-seated grudge.

She was also thankful that Abyss, while controlling Leona’s body, lacked Leona’s extensive combat experience. Most of the time, he simply used Leona’s immense Dou Qi to enhance his strength, punching and kicking, rather than solidifying the Dou Qi into massive weapons. The bone armor, crafted from dragon bones, provided excellent defense. After several minutes of intense fighting, Fidia had only coughed up a dozen mouthfuls of blood.

Stalling for time through combat, Fidia desperately searched for an escape route. She had been overconfident initially, not seriously considering her master’s advice about having an escape plan, and now regretted it deeply.

Shor wasn’t just paralyzed by fear. He used magic to lower his body temperature, forcing himself to calm down, then began harassing Abyss with necromancy.

He summoned numerous bone puppets. These puppets frantically leaped at Abyss, trying to latch onto him with sharp claws, not to injure him, but hoping to slow him down, though with little success so far.

It wasn’t that Shor was slacking; it was because he specialized in the plague magic created by their master. He had only dabbled in other schools of magic. While still powerful by continental standards, his skills were insufficient against Abyss. Furthermore, his specialty, plague magic, was effective against ordinary people or those with weaker constitutions. Abyss, however, was in a unique state – an undead being without life force, yet clearly superior in status to ordinary undead. This rendered Shor’s plague magic completely ineffective against him.

Clang!

Fidia blocked Abyss’s punch with her broadsword. The dragon bone structure absorbed most of the force, but the immense recoil still sent numbing pain through her arms and churned her internal organs. Her body flew back instinctively; she dared not take the blow head-on.

Abyss shook his unharmed fist and propelled himself forward with Dou Qi, giving chase.

“Why are you attacking me like this! Do you hate me that much?” Fidia, seemingly annoyed by Abyss’s relentless assault, couldn’t help but ask sharply. “I didn’t do anything to your Leona!”

“I know you didn’t do anything,” Abyss unhesitatingly delivered a left front kick towards Fidia. “You wouldn’t dare do anything to her, right?”

Fidia barely blocked the attack. After this blow, she decisively manipulated her broadsword, transforming it into a wide shield to better withstand Abyss’s monstrous strength.

“Then why are you clinging to me like this!” Fidia cried out in frustration.

Abyss followed up with a right roundhouse kick, the attack incredibly fast. Fidia almost failed to block it.

“If I give you a chance, wouldn’t you just run away?” Abyss smiled.

“Damn it! If anything happens to me, Master will inflict the most terrifying revenge on you!”

“Is that so? I’d welcome it!” Abyss shook his body, dislodging the bone puppets clinging to him, then threw a left jab. This attack was exceptionally forceful; Fidia’s shield groaned under the strain, emitting a teeth-grinding screech.

“Haaaaaaah!” Realizing Abyss had no intention of letting her live and that defending would only lead to death, Fidia adjusted her stance, healed her internal injuries, and charged towards Abyss.

Shor, ignored by Abyss, continued manipulating bone puppets for a while, then suddenly paused, his eyes lighting up. He chanted an incantation, his body abruptly dissolving into a swarm of flying beetles, fleeing without hesitation. Some Druids tried to intercept, but the beetles scattered, moving incredibly fast and proving difficult to catch.

Abyss knew Shor had escaped but remained unhurried, completely ignoring him, instead intensifying his attacks on Fidia.

Fidia’s armor and shield emitted teeth-grinding cracking sounds more frequently. As Abyss grew more accustomed to Leona’s body, the power unleashed upon Fidia grew stronger.

After dozens of exchanges, Fidia suddenly burst into laughter.

“Ha! My foolish little junior brother! Compared to your sister, you’re still too naive! You’re using Leona’s body now; you don’t have the ability to seal magic, do you! Farewell then!”

With those words, Fidia’s body suddenly vanished.

Abyss, losing his opponent, hovered in mid-air. He knew Fidia had used her usual trick – teleporting to the location of a bone fragment. She must have somehow given a fragment to Shor, who carried it away during his escape.

But Abyss remained unconcerned. He smiled and opened the pocket of his trousers – it was full of bone powder.

This was dragon bone powder he had painstakingly scraped off Fidia just now, the best material for bone magic. Although Abyss had his little fire dragon, he hadn’t exploited it like this. He just hoped Leona wouldn’t be angry about him dirtying her trousers with this powder.

He had anticipated Fidia might use this escape tactic, but he didn’t care about such trivial matters.

Compared to these things, Abyss was more concerned about the situation with the Sacred Tree.

He looked towards the Sacred Tree. A beautiful pink flower bud had grown on it, already quite large, seemingly about to bloom.

Chapter 99: Body Swap

Thud! Crack!

A small fist, burning with Dou Qi flames, slammed onto Fidia’s bone armor, instantly shattering the hard protection conjured by the Supreme Mage. The violent impact generated a howling shockwave that struck Fidia’s body. Like a cannonball, she flew off the undead dragon, crashing onto the ground with a boom, creating a large crater.

“Fidia!” Shor cried out in alarm.

“Leona” turned her head, a lazy smile playing on her lips, and looked at him.

Meeting that gaze, Shor felt an icy chill run through his body. He chanted a spell at incredible speed, and copious amounts of green smoke billowed from his mage robes, rapidly solidifying into ferocious undead creatures. Without needing Shor’s command, they let out heart-stopping roars and lunged towards “Leona,” who had swapped souls with Abyss.

“So Leona’s body holds such astonishing power…”

Abyss marveled inwardly, then moved. Ignoring the undead charging at him, he weaved through them with impossible speed, bypassing them and landing a punch directly on Shor’s shoulder.

Though Leona’s body was petite, the punch carried the force of thunder. As Abyss, controlling the body, threw the punch, he could clearly feel the air compress into a solid state due to the sheer speed, only for his fist to instantly break through that layer and compress the next… finally striking Shor’s hastily summoned bone armor.

Shor’s magical proficiency seemed inferior to Fidia’s. His bone armor didn’t even last the blink of an eye before Abyss’s punch reduced it back to bone powder. The immense impact force, barely diminished, landed squarely on Shor’s shoulder.

Splat!

Because Leona’s punching speed was absurdly fast, Shor’s shoulder seemed as fragile as jelly upon impact. Caught off guard, his shoulder was easily pulverized by the punch.

The pain reached his brain only moments later. Just as he was about to cry out, Abyss grabbed his jaw and, with a slight exertion of force, crushed it!

“AAAAAAAH!” Shor’s scream finally erupted. The undead he had just summoned quickly flowed back into his body through his chest, collar, and other openings.

The instant the undead returned to his body, Shor’s shattered shoulder and pulverized jaw instantly regenerated. He had sacrificed his undead to heal his injuries.

But now, fear completely consumed his mind. His previous anxiety was nothing compared to his current terror!

Such power! This strength was simply beyond mortal comprehension! And this was just one of Abyss’s familiars! How did that guy manage to acquire such immense power? Could anyone in this world stop him?

The nearby Iron Lily members, witnessing “Leona’s” god-like display, were utterly stunned. They had no intention of sacrificing their lives for these Necromancers. At the Vice-Commander’s order, the thugs, whether waiting behind or already engaged with the Druids, all turned and fled, scattering in all directions.

The Druids gave only a limited pursuit, unwilling to stray too far from their gathering.

“Stay back! Do you know the consequences of killing me? My master is your martial uncle, Prodo! If you dare touch me, my master will inflict the bloodiest revenge upon you! His strength surpasses yours! Because he has already obtained another kind of extraordinary power!” Shor retreated, shouting loudly at Abyss who stood before him. “I don’t want the Sage’s Blood anymore! Let us go!”

“Shor! You coward!”

Fidia’s furious rebuke came from behind Abyss. Her bone armor had absorbed most of the damage, leaving her with only a dozen broken ribs and ruptured kidneys, liver, and spleen. Now, using magic to levitate herself, her injuries were already healed. She glared daggers at the fear-dominated, utterly disgraced Shor.

“We have no bargaining chips! We have no chance of winning!” Shor yelled, completely broken.

“Who says we have no chance!” Fidia suddenly began chanting loudly, her speed also incredible. As her incantation completed, the undead dragon beneath Shor and Abyss suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. Large amounts of white bone powder flowed out from the dragon’s orifices and rotten holes, rapidly converging on her body. With astonishing efficiency, it compressed and covered her, forming an ornate suit of armor and a two-meter-long broadsword in the blink of an eye.

“Master gave you full control of the dragon!” Shor, falling from the sky, said to Fidia in surprise.

Abyss glanced lazily at Fidia. Bone magic utilizing dragon bone powder was interesting. Dragon bone possessed extremely high magic resistance and shock absorption capabilities, but precisely because of its magic resistance, manipulating it was nearly impossible. He hadn’t expected Fidia to possess such skill… And, the armor did look quite cool.

A slight smile appeared on “Leona’s” small face. Although Fidia was strong, it wasn’t enough, because Abyss’s plan had already been perfectly executed.

In the next few minutes, the situation would completely change. The defeat of these two unfortunate senior martial siblings was already sealed…

…

Leona finally understood what Abyss meant by “gaining enough magic.”

She hadn’t reacted at first, then suddenly felt herself teleported somewhere. A strange sensation followed; she felt taller, her hair instantly shorter, and something elastic was now in her pants. More importantly, she discovered she possessed an incredibly powerful magic core, as if all the magic in the world bowed to her command. Flora sat beside her, looking worried.

Yes, she had swapped bodies with Abyss.

Without time for astonishment, Leona immediately remembered Abyss’s instructions and began chanting the spell she knew by heart. As Abyss had instructed, she needed to channel magic while repeating the incantation one hundred times.

…

Meanwhile, in the cavity where the break in the Sacred Tree’s root had been discovered, a black cat wagged its tail, patiently using a dropper to drip blood from a flask onto the break point, allowing the root to absorb it. The sound of a pulse echoed around him. Some kind of power seemed to be growing stronger with each drop of blood injected.

As this power intensified, high up in the Sacred Tree’s crown, a gray flower bud rapidly grew, swelling larger and larger…

Chapter 98: You Don’t Understand the Meaning of Genius

Flora sat beside Abyss, quietly waiting for him as he continued chanting incantations towards the Sacred Tree.

Abyss had maintained this posture for several days, without eating or drinking, the incantations from his mouth never ceasing for a moment. As a human, even though his body had been enhanced by the power brought by Leona, making him arguably superhuman, the toll was immense. His face was noticeably sunken, his already pale complexion even more bloodless. He had lost a significant amount of weight, appearing almost skeletal.

Seeing Abyss like this, Flora couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. However, Abyss had specifically warned her that what he was doing could not be stopped until completion. Before then, he could only rely on the pre-consumed potion to sustain himself; eating, drinking, and talking were impossible.

So, for the past few days, besides treating patients, Flora sat beside Abyss, using her inherent divinity to ward off insects that tried to bite him. Occasionally, she would gently wipe his face with a damp handkerchief without interrupting his chanting, sometimes using a Divine Art to keep his mind clear – without Flora’s Divine Arts, Abyss might not have lasted this long.

Abyss continued chanting, but at this moment, Flora suddenly received a command from Abyss in her mind.

“Flora, my incantation is almost finished. Use a Mind-Clearing Art on me now, empty my consciousness.”

Flora’s eyes lit up: “Finished? Are you going to rescue Leona?”

“That’s right. I won’t let those two scumbags hold Leona hostage any longer.” Abyss nodded, but the incantation from his mouth showed no sign of stopping.

Flora didn’t question Abyss but obediently began chanting a prayer, using a Divine Art to help empty his consciousness…

…

“Abyss Belator, I’ll give you one last chance. Come out and face us!” Fidia was no longer satisfied with merely amplifying her voice with magic. The once elegant woman now began shouting harshly, completely devoid of grace. “This time, I won’t be merciful! If you don’t come out, within the count of three, I will disable one of your Leona’s arms! I will let you hear her screams! Don’t you regret it!”

Facing Abyss, who gave no face, hid within the Druid gathering, and offered no explanation, Fidia and her senior brother Shor were fuming. Their supposedly smooth mission had turned into this mess. They had even nearly ruined their cooperation with the Iron Lilies, almost descending into infighting. If their master found out, there would surely be consequences for both of them.

Shor paced anxiously nearby, saying viciously, “In my opinion, you should just rip Leona’s arm off directly! He won’t come out unless it hurts him!”

“Three!” Fidia ignored Shor. Although she had previously flirted with and hinted at this senior brother, her feelings for him were purely physical. Now, she decided to follow her own judgment.

Abyss still didn’t emerge. Besides the sounds of battle between the Iron Lilies and the Druids, Keshel remained silent.

“Two!”

Fidia abruptly grabbed Leona’s wrist, her eyes like vipers, a sliver of magic already flowing through the counterfeit necromantic link into Leona’s arm.

Leona’s slender arm began to twist unnaturally – not at the joints, but the skin, muscles, and even bones twisting independently.

This was a privilege of the necromantic link. After Fidia had seized the link between Abyss and Leona like a virus invasion, this privilege naturally fell into her hands.

“One…”

Abyss’s response still didn’t come at the last moment as expected.

Beads of sweat trickled down Fidia’s temples. The longer Abyss remained inactive, the greater the pressure on her side.

“Time’s up! You asked for this! Abyss Belator!”

Fidia roared out the final verdict. Steeling her heart, she cast aside all hesitation and sent the command for arm self-destruction directly through the necromantic link to Leona.

“Ugh-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Leona let out a painful scream at that moment.

A smile, tinged with madness, instantly appeared on Fidia’s face.

See! Abyss! Your woman is suffering here, and you still cower inside, afraid to come out! Let’s see if you can remain calm when you hear her screams! The next target is her other arm! Then her legs, then her beautiful hibiscus-like face… No! The face comes second…

Thinking this, Fidia suddenly paused.

She seemed to have forgotten to return Leona’s ability to speak. Leona should have been unable to talk, right?

So how did she manage that scream just now?

Simultaneously, Fidia subconsciously checked the necromantic link between herself and Leona.

…Gone?

Fidia looked down at Leona, whose arm she was holding. Where was the self-destruction? Her arm was perfectly fine, still attached to her shoulder. And the owner of the arm, the little girl she had controlled for so long, was now tilting her head, grinning at her as if watching the funniest joke in the world.

“What…”

“Was my scream just now miserable enough?” Leona adopted a light, lazy expression, smiling at Fidia. “I was pretending.”

The tone of Leona’s voice now was completely different from what Fidia had heard before. Although it was still her bell-like voice, her words carried a lazy air, as if indifferent to everything in the world – composed, elegant, yet playful.

Almost exactly like… Abyss’s voice heard through the necromantic link…

“You are…!”

“You must be the senior martial sister I’ve never met. Ah, just as I thought, you’re a very beautiful woman. I quite like your face.”

“Leona” pulled her arm back from Fidia’s grasp; her immense strength made it impossible for Fidia to resist.

“Oh, and this old brother whose jaw is about to hit the floor must be my senior martial brother? Nice to meet you… oh wait, not really that nice.”

“What did you do! Why did the spell link I established disappear! You… you’re not Leona!” Fidia finally reacted, crying out in shock.

“Oh, I’m really not. Did you truly believe all the spells I use are copied verbatim from Master? Do you perhaps misunderstand the meaning of the word ‘genius’? Swapping souls with my familiar is just a basic operation for me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to deal with you earlier; I just couldn’t get away. Now I’m free.”

“Leona” spread her arms, smiling at the two, who were now dumbstruck as wooden chickens: “So, can the game begin? Won’t you come and get acquainted with your little junior brother?”

Chapter 97: The Solution to the Plague

“Miss Rebecca, will doing this eliminate the enemy’s plague?”

Maggie, drenched in sweat and fanning herself with a large leaf, asked Rebecca, who was lying on the ground, relieved.

“No, but for the enemy’s plague magic to take effect, the target must be a living body. If the villagers are no longer living bodies, it naturally won’t achieve the desired effect,” Rebecca turned her head, half-closing her eyes, and said to Maggie. “Maggie, this is a temporary measure. We still can’t eliminate the enemy’s plague magic; the pathogens it uses are still rampant within Keshel. But I believe this situation won’t last long. We will achieve a complete victory.”

“Are you talking about Mr. Abyss? What has he been doing lately? That woman outside has been calling him for ages, but he hasn’t moved. I went to see Mr. Abyss earlier; he was hiding in a corner facing the Sacred Tree. It felt quite eerie.”

“Don’t worry, Maggie. The mystery will soon be revealed,” Rebecca smiled mysteriously, closing her eyes again to rest.
Rebecca’s work was done, and she was utterly exhausted now.

Beside them lay many elf villagers – now stone statues, silent, showing no sign that they were once living elves.

This was Rebecca’s countermeasure against the enemy’s plague magic. Although specific cures could be continuously developed, Rebecca deduced that since the pathogen could mutate every three hours, the enemy could remotely force mutations. Continuing with the previous strategy would put them in a passive position, struggling futilely like cornered animals, merely delaying the inevitable.

Thus, Rebecca finally devised a solution. She developed a petrification potion. Feeding this potion to the villagers would temporarily freeze their life force, rapidly hardening their bodies until they became as hard as stone, yet not brittle. This essentially froze the villagers in time, preserving their current state. To ensure safety, Rebecca tested it on animals, confirming the petrification was completely reversible. Because the mechanism was magic-based, not chemical, it wouldn’t burden their bodies.

After she prepared the potion, the Druids quickly administered it to every villager. Although not entirely confident in Rebecca’s alchemy skills, they had no better alternative.

In fact, the villagers, already suffering immensely, were quite willing to drink the potion. It offered complete magical stasis, freeing them from pain and allowing them to wait until a solution was found. All villagers were quickly gathered into the inner area by the Druids to protect them from enemy attacks. They drank the potion in batches and fell into a deep sleep.

Therefore, Shor’s plague magic attack failed – the pathogens, under his command, mutated into a highly lethal new strain, but they couldn’t find viable hosts.

The Druids, constantly exposed to nature magic, had extremely strong resistance and couldn’t be infected. The villagers were petrified, all vital signs ceased, preventing the pathogens from wreaking havoc within their bodies.

Thus, the plague magic was rendered ineffective.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t my plague magic working anymore?” Shor checked again in shock. He finally confirmed that the plague he had unleashed was now completely useless!

The Iron Lily Vice-Commander, hearing this, became even angrier: “You idiot! Didn’t you say your plague magic would checkmate them, foolproof!”

“You dare curse me again, and I’ll slaughter all of you!” Shor, enraged and embarrassed, pointed at the Vice-Commander and roared. “How should I know what trick the enemy used? Where are your spies? Don’t they know anything? Aren’t you Iron Lilies just a bunch of trash too?”

“Our spies have all fallen in battle, and you have the nerve to say that? We should have never cooperated with you! Necromancers truly are all rotten!” The Vice-Commander wasn’t intimidated by Shor’s threat. He hadn’t become the Iron Lily Vice-Commander through flattery or tricks; he was a genuinely ruthless character. Why would he show fear towards a Necromancer he had only recently allied with?

“Stop arguing!” Fidia, annoyed by the bickering men, shrieked. “Senior Brother Shor! What happened!”

“How should I know what happened? My plague magic suddenly stopped working, as if all the villagers in Keshel vanished into thin air! Where did the Druids move them? Did they use a portal?”

“How could a portal transfer people on such a large scale? Don’t you know how unstable those things are?” Fidia frowned tightly. “I don’t know what trick they used. We only have Leona left as a bargaining chip. Senior Brother Shor, protect me, prevent Abyss from snatching her. I have a feeling he hasn’t responded for so long because he plans to take Leona back!”

“How is that possible?” Shor scoffed. “Leona is in our hands. If we want, she’ll bid farewell to that kid Abyss forever. Does he dare act rashly?”

“I have no concrete evidence, but I’m starting to feel uneasy…” Fidia whispered to Shor.

Leona, standing nearby, would have burst out laughing if she weren’t under control. Abyss hadn’t even moved, yet these two were already this nervous. Do people with complex minds really scare themselves so easily?

But what was Abyss doing now? Unable to contact him, Leona could only guess.

He definitely wanted to rescue her. The long delay meant Abyss was planning something big, a decisive move.

Leona recalled the magic incantation Abyss had insisted she memorize before leaving the Druid gathering.

It was a relatively simple spell; Leona had memorized it perfectly after repeating it two or three times. She didn’t know its purpose, nor did she have enough magic to cast it, but Abyss had told her it was for emergencies. When Leona suddenly gained enough magic, she was to repeat the incantation one hundred times.

Leona wondered when Abyss meant by “gaining enough magic,” but Abyss had told her she wouldn’t be happy if he revealed it beforehand, so he’d tell her when the time came.

That ABC, what kind of annoying plan, possibly offensive to her dignity as a princess, had he prepared?

Chapter 96: Druids, More and More

Fidia and Shor had indeed heard from their master about Glad, Abyss’s master, and his strong personality. They had also speculated numerous times about Abyss’s character based on gathered intelligence and assumptions. However, they never imagined Abyss would be such a difficult person to handle.

He was clearly kind-hearted, helpful, and adhered strictly to the Necromancer’s Four Tenets, yet he remained hidden when his familiar and thousands of innocent villagers’ lives were threatened, not even offering a reply. Was he afraid? But Fidia and Shor didn’t believe someone possessing such immense power would be easily frightened.

What was going on? What trick was he playing? Couldn’t he just play by the rules?

Shouldn’t a champion of justice always be passionate, willing to risk everything for innocent people and his woman?

Did this make sense?

“What’s wrong with your master! Isn’t he afraid we’ll kill you?” Fidia turned and grabbed Leona’s collar, glaring fiercely. “Damn it! Your whole family is messed up!”

“I can’t answer that question; I’m just a fighter,” Leona felt quite wronged. ABC had always been like this. But since the old hag had said “your whole family,” Leona decided not to argue.

“Iron Lilies! What are you waiting for? Conserving strength at a time like this? Keep pressuring the Druids! I refuse to believe we can’t force Abyss out! Get the Sage’s Blood, and we all get a share!” Shor, also confused by the situation, could only vent his frustration on the Iron Lily members.

The Iron Lily members had indeed increased the frequency of their attacks earlier. However, while they were fanatics who gloried in slaughtering elves, they weren’t stupid enough to throw everything away as cannon fodder for a group of Necromancers. Only a third of them had been charging initially. Hearing Shor, the higher-ranking Iron Lily members conferred and sent out more personnel. Now, slightly over half of the Iron Lilies were on the front lines – better than nothing.

Shor didn’t have the time to punish these disobedient thugs. He could only chant loudly, raising the corpses of fallen Iron Lily members to throw them back into the fight.

“Abyss Belator! You coward! Get out here! Exchange your Sage’s Blood for their chance to live!” Fidia, furious, amplified her voice countless times with magic, sending it to every corner of Keshel, deafeningly loud. “Druids! Do you really want to protect that coward? His selfishness is leading you to ruin! If he doesn’t come out! Keshel will become a land of death! Don’t wait for our master to intervene!”

Some Druids did waver upon hearing this, but they quickly dismissed the thought.

Master Belator was trustworthy; otherwise, the Sages wouldn’t respect him so much. Masters Arcaiste and Ambrosius hadn’t given any order to abandon Abyss, which meant they must have a plan! No need to overthink, just hold on! Should they distrust their own Sages and believe that a group of vicious Necromancers and elf-hating Iron Lilies would spare Keshel after they handed over their only bargaining chip, Abyss?

Druids weren’t socially adept, but they understood these stakes. Anyone who didn’t would get a slap on the back of the head and a scolding from an elder, leaving no room to doubt Abyss.

The Iron Lilies’ assault intensified. Many members transformed into animals charged forward, using various magics that often caught the Druids off guard.

However, they soon realized that despite their increased numbers, the battle didn’t feel easier; in fact, it felt somewhat draining.

An Iron Lily member transformed into an eagle had just pecked out the eye of a Druid transformed into a lion. Circling in the air on battered wings, he suddenly noticed something alarming. Forgetting the battle, he flew straight back to his side, opened his beak, and shouted.

“Vice-Commander! Bad news! The Druids are getting reinforcements! It seems they’ve abandoned the villagers and are focusing all their efforts on us! Could the Necromancers have tricked us?”

“What!?” Among the Iron Lily members, one who seemed to hold the highest rank immediately transformed into a giant python, reared up, and peered towards the village.

The eagle was right; the Druids were indeed receiving reinforcements! In his heat-sensing vision after transforming into a snake, many figures were rushing from the direction of the Druid gathering. Some had already joined the battle, while others were handling logistics and medical aid. All Druids possessed healing abilities; if given the chance to treat the wounded, their sustained combat capability would increase significantly.

“Shit! Shor! You bastard, you tricked us! Why are the Druids getting reinforcements!” The Vice-Commander was furious, shouting at Shor, who was busy manipulating his corpse puppets.

Shor, suddenly yelled at, glared back at the Vice-Commander, retorting angrily, “What nonsense are you spouting! My plague is still keeping the Druids busy! Who tricked you!”

“Haven’t you noticed more and more Druids joining the fight?” The Vice-Commander looked ready to attack Shor. “Your damn plague is useless! My members have suffered heavy losses! How will you take responsibility!”

“You dare curse me again?!” Shor raged. “They might have found a way to counter the current plague. I just need to mutate the plague ahead of schedule! Watch carefully with your dog eyes! This is the power of plague magic!”

Shor began chanting loudly again. Under his command, the dense magic around the Sacred Tree gathered near him, passed through his magic core, and rapidly spread outwards. This magic carried the command to mutate the plague. With these instructions, the plague would no longer follow the previous three-hour mutation cycle but would immediately transform into another form according to the caster’s will.

“Not only will I mutate the plague, but I’ll also have it directly kill some villagers! This is punishment!”
Shor’s gaze was dark. He had been full of confidence today, but he had faced too many setbacks. He was angry, and the consequences would be severe.

“Change!”

His command rapidly permeated the environment, reaching every corner of Keshel, and then, took effect.

But this time, Shor didn’t feel his spell activate. The feedback mechanism inherent in this large-scale magic didn’t report success.

It was as if… the magic had hit a stone wall…

Chapter 95: Is Abyss a Coward?

The rotting undead dragon flapped its massive wings, landing with a thunderous crash on the outskirts of Keshel amidst strong winds. The sheer weight of the dragon caused the earth to tremble violently, but the defending Druids were even more shaken.

“What is that? A dragon?”
“Aren’t dragons extinct? Where did she get a dragon?”
“That’s an undead dragon! Its skin is rotting! It’s Necromancers! The Necromancers have returned!”

The Druids, who had been desperately fighting the enemy, now hesitated to advance. Some rash young ones wanted to attack but were held back by their elders.

The power of a Necromancer capable of commanding a dragon was self-evident, far beyond the description of “high-ranking.” This was likely a Supreme Necromancer, one who had reached the highest mortal standard.

Facing such a formidable foe, attacking rashly without understanding their capabilities was suicidal.

Looking closely, they saw two figures standing on the dragon. One was familiar to the Druids – Miss Leona, Master Belator’s powerful Dou Qi Master companion. Beside her stood a alluring but pale-faced woman.

“Whew… The magic around the Sacred Tree is indeed rich. Sister quite likes it here,” the woman took a deep breath and said to Leona beside her. “It seems I can exert more power here. Little sister Leona, I’ll give you a chance to speak now. How about calling your master ABC to come save you?”

Leona, whose body had been controlled for nearly three days, felt she could now control her respiratory system, mouth, and throat.

“Old hag, I suggest you give up. Do you think he’ll just give it to you because you ask?” But Leona didn’t call out to Abyss as Fidia intended. The proud princess would never obey an enemy.

“Oh? Is that so?” Fidia sneered. “Do you really think I have no way to deal with you?”

“Ah, dear Junior Sister Fidia, it seems your mission was also successfully completed. As expected of you, easily subduing Leona.”
Just then, a pale-faced man emerged from the midst of the Iron Lily members. Seeing Fidia, he smiled in greeting, then chanted a spell, using wind magic to lift himself up and fly to their side.

“Senior Brother Shor, you’re quite impressive too. The Druids must be exhausted by your plague by now, right? Hehehe…”
Fidia also laughed charmingly. Her tone towards this man was excessively artificial, making Leona, standing nearby, feel an urge to punch her nose crooked.

The male Necromancer named Shor waved dismissively: “Using Master’s plague magic against these elves couldn’t be simpler. By now, that little fellow named Abyss must be cornered. He hasn’t shown his face these past few days; I don’t know what he’s doing. Unfortunately, my spies can’t fly into the Druid gathering; those Supreme Druids inside are no pushovers.”

So, the plague Keshel had endured these past few days was the work of this Necromancer named Shor, operating secretly. He had used exceptional magic to conceal himself, remaining undetected. Only now, when it was time to negotiate with Abyss, did he reveal himself.

“Excellent, it seems we can complete this mission beautifully, Senior Brother. After we return, you must reward me well,” Fidia winked at Shor.

Shor smirked: “Hmm, although I’m not particularly interested in women with body heat, if we really succeed, it’s not impossible. Continue calling him out. Get Abyss out here. This guy’s burying his head like an ostrich; you might need to call a few more times.”

Leona immediately cursed: “A pair of dogs.”

“Damn it, forgot to revoke her speaking privileges,” Fidia’s good mood was ruined by Leona. She angrily retracted that part of control over Leona’s body.

“Little girl, you’d better just watch quietly. Your master is cornered. If he refuses to hand over the Sage’s Blood, I might just enjoy a taste of you,” Shor looked lecherously at Leona’s body, but finding her figure too underdeveloped, he quickly lost interest and looked away.

“Abyss Belator, how long are you going to hide under the Druids’ protection? Come out and face me, you little mongrel!”
Fidia’s voice, amplified by magic, boomed out again. Her mood, soured by Leona’s insults, made her words noticeably harsher.

But Abyss still didn’t respond. Keshel remained silent.

“Senior Brother Shor, could he have escaped?” Fidia frowned, glancing back at Shor.

Shor shook his head: “He wouldn’t do that. He must be inside the Druid gathering. Keep calling him!”

“Abyss Belator! Are you still planning to cower inside? The lives of Keshel’s innocent people and the fate of your Miss Leona are now entirely in our hands! If you say or do anything wrong, it could lead to extremely serious consequences!”
Fidia shouted again.

Silence was still her only answer.

“Iron Lilies, continue your assault!” Fidia stomped her foot on the dragon’s back in frustration and commanded.

At Fidia’s command, the Iron Lily members, who had paused their attack to watch the show, snapped back to reality – if they stopped, wouldn’t the Druids get a chance to rest and help the plague-stricken villagers?

Thus, these thugs empowered by the Lord of Bullying resumed their charge towards Keshel. The Druids, having used the brief respite to move the outermost villagers, immediately began defending against the Iron Lilies again.

“Abyss Belator! Don’t you care about your dear Miss Leona anymore? Don’t you want her nestled by your side? I know you like her very much!” Fidia’s speech quickened. “Also, don’t think we wouldn’t dare eliminate Leona. Master gave us orders: if negotiations fail, Leona must disappear! This weakens your side and maximizes our benefit – furthermore, those plague-stricken villagers will die soon and turn directly into undead!”

Fidia’s words were terrifying. The Druids and the few conscious young villagers were aghast.

But Abyss still didn’t answer.

Fidia frowned, staring intently at the Druid gathering’s perimeter.

What on earth was Abyss doing?

Chapter 94: Keshel’s Plight

Fidia and Abyss’s conversation was unpleasant, but the information she provided wasn’t false.

After Rebecca and all the Druids at the gathering had frantically worked for another day, meaning the plague had mutated eight more times, numerous uninvited guests began appearing around Keshel.

Various animals started converging on Keshel. These animals weren’t of the same species; some should even have been natural enemies, yet they advanced harmoniously towards the Keshel villages. Clearly, these coordinated creatures were Iron Lily members, likely having formed an alliance with Prodo.

The sky’s color was altered by an unknown large-scale magic. It was cloudless, the sun high above, yet the sunlight filtering down was incredibly dim, like a nearly extinguished oil lamp. In this eerie darkness, strange figures shambled towards Keshel. They were numerous low-level undead, yet despite their rank, these undead possessed varying degrees of limb specialization: skeletons with arms transformed into scythes, zombies with fists turned into warhammers, and so on…

Currently, only the Druids of the gathering could mount a defense. These mages had been working non-stop for two days and were utterly exhausted. But to protect Keshel and uphold elven dignity, they stood firm. Rebecca’s anti-fatigue potions helped alleviate their physical exhaustion, but prolonged mental strain and lack of sleep left them in poor condition. A mage’s most important weapon is their mind; their current fatigue effectively weakened them by several levels.

Keshel was completely besieged, and the Iron Lilies and undead launched wave after wave of attacks. They didn’t attack all at once, but the assaults were relentless, quickly overwhelming the Druids.

…

A massive, hairy orangutan, the size of a small hill, roared and charged forward, its huge fists pounding the ground as it ran, leaving fist-shaped craters. Its target was a village warehouse.

This warehouse stored various medicinal herbs ready for sale, the livelihood of the local farmers. The Druids, sworn to protect their homes, wouldn’t let it succeed. Two Druids immediately ran towards it, chanting spells. As their magic flowed, two thick vines erupted from the ground, rapidly wrapping around the orangutan’s ankles and tightening instantly, pulling the charging beast down with a thunderous crash.

“Roar!” The orangutan roared angrily, reaching to tear at the vines binding it.

The Druids wouldn’t let it break free so easily. The two vines, having completed their task, continued to grow, sprouting countless tendrils that quickly formed a net, tightly ensnaring the orangutan, preventing it from reaching its feet.

“Damn elves! I’ll skin you and break your bones!” Human speech, albeit broken Elvish, came from the orangutan’s mouth. Iron Lily members learned some Elvish to better carry out their missions and slaughter elves.

“Die!” the two Druids shouted in unison, beginning another loud incantation. As their spell neared completion, the vines binding the orangutan sprouted numerous thorns, digging deep into its flesh and injecting large amounts of neurotoxin.

“Ugh-AAAAAH!” The orangutan suddenly roared, its body rapidly growing a thick carapace that burst the vines restraining it!

“Not good!” The two Druids were aghast; they hadn’t expected the orangutan’s magical ability to be manifesting a carapace!

The moment it broke free, the orangutan charged the two Druids. The distance was too short; they couldn’t cast another binding spell in time. The massive fists were about to smash them into pulp…

Swoosh! Zing zing zing!

At that moment, a green figure shot forward from behind. It moved so fast the two Druids couldn’t even make out its shape. The green light circled the orangutan’s body at unbelievable speed for several seconds. The orangutan immediately collapsed, twitched a few times, and lay still.

The green figure finally stopped, clearly visible to the two Druids. It was a giant mantis, as long as an adult’s forearm, brandishing its two blade-like forelimbs, flicking off blood.

At the same time, the fallen orangutan’s skin suddenly ruptured, blood pouring out. Its neck, in particular, had been slashed countless times by a sharp weapon; the vertebrae and nerves within were completely severed, leaving no chance of survival. The orangutan died instantly, its body rapidly shrinking back into a human corpse with shredded skin.

“Master Ambrosius!” the two Druids cried out gratefully.

“You did well, holding this monster back,” words came from the mantis’s mouth. The mantis was none other than Ambrosius, the Sage second only to Arcaiste in the Druid gathering.

“Master! The front line is in dire straits! Our energy is depleted. I felt dizzy casting just now; I can’t concentrate properly anymore…” one Druid lamented to Ambrosius.

“Master! Same here. How long do we have to hold out?” the other Druid asked.

Ambrosius sighed heavily. “Alas, do your best. If you can’t take it anymore, switch shifts with someone else… if you can find anyone free. I’m also stretched thin… However, keep faith! Master Arcaiste and Master Belator seem to be preparing a decisive blow. Once their magic is ready, we should be able to turn the tide!” Although Ambrosius was encouraging the two Druids, he himself didn’t show much hope; the elder was also exhausted.

“If that’s really the case, that would be wonderful,” the two Druids remained pessimistic, their voices lacking much excitement.

And just as they spoke, more Iron Lily members, accompanied by numerous low-level undead, launched another wave of attacks towards their position…

…

The battle was deadlocked. The Druids couldn’t push back the enemy, nor dared they retreat. Some villagers remained in the outer areas, unable to move to the central zone. Young Druids carried these unconscious patients, a slow and inefficient process.

As the two sides fought fiercely, a massive figure appeared over a distant mountain, visible to all the Druids.

It was a giant dragon with rotting flesh. Two figures stood upon its neck.

“Abyss Belator! Hand over your Sage’s Blood! Otherwise, we will bathe the entire Druid gathering in blood! Don’t try any tricks! We have the power!” A magically amplified voice echoed throughout Keshel.

Chapter 93: First Contact with Senior Martial Sister

Abyss continued chanting his incantation but immediately responded to Rebecca, multitasking.
“What happened? Did you contact Leona? She hasn’t spoken to me these past two days; I thought she was busy.”

“I know you couldn’t get away these past few days. I just contacted Leona, and it was her voice that answered – but something felt off. I used food as a topic to test her, and she actually said she’s undead and doesn’t need to eat. It’s highly likely she’s been captured by your former schoolmates.”
Rebecca told Abyss.

“I understand. Thank you, Rebecca. I’ll contact the other party immediately.”

“Don’t be reckless, Abyss. The enemy will definitely threaten you. Don’t let them do anything to Leona… I think they have ways to sever your connection with Leona, which would turn her to ash.”

“I know what I’m doing, Rebecca. Thank you for your hard work these past few days.”
Abyss calmly replied to Rebecca.

Rebecca sighed softly: “After you finish what you’re doing, you must find that bastard hiding in the shadows and causing trouble. I absolutely won’t let him off!”

Abyss agreed and temporarily disconnected from Rebecca.
He hadn’t stopped chanting while communicating with Rebecca. Although he didn’t possess Rebecca’s super-brain capable of handling dozens of thought threads simultaneously, chatting mentally while chanting was effortless.

“Leona, are you there?”

This time, the response came much faster than when Rebecca had asked: “I’m here, Abyss. What is it?”

“Could I trouble you not to call me by the nickname Leona uses? I find it annoying.” Abyss had no intention of playing along; he decided to be direct.

There was a clear pause on the other end, then an unfamiliar female voice came through: “Oh? You found out? Did I say something out of character for Miss Leona just now? As expected of the former continent’s top scholar, Miss Rebecca. It seems it didn’t take much effort.”

“Leona has been abducted by you? So you’re my schoolmate? Judging by your voice, you’re not an old lady. Should I call you Senior Martial Sister?”

“Hehe, obedient Junior Brother, you’re quite clever. That’s right, I am your Senior Martial Sister. My name is Fidia,” the woman chuckled lightly. “Since it’s come to this, I won’t beat around the bush. I’m actually heading towards the Druid gathering with your little sweetheart right now. Hmm… speaking of which, how do you find the plague at the Druid gathering? Pretty potent, wouldn’t you say?”

“So it was your doing. I have to say, the skill level is indeed high,” Abyss spoke truthfully. “I don’t know the specifics of your magic yet; such magic hasn’t been recorded on the continent before. But your methods are clever, manipulating plague with magic and spreading it in Keshel, a place with extremely high magic concentration, making it impossible for us to fundamentally eliminate the magical pathogens. You’ve certainly caused us quite a bit of trouble.”

Hearing Abyss frankly acknowledge the skillfulness of her side’s methods, Fidia couldn’t help but laugh again: “Hehehe, my dear Junior Brother, your personality is quite different from your stubborn master’s. I thought you’d curse me relentlessly like your little sweetheart Leona.”

“Praise is praise, but cursing is still necessary. You shameless old hag, are you planning to use Leona to exchange for the Sage’s Blood flowing in my veins?”
Before Fidia’s words even faded, Abyss cursed her directly.

“You…” Fidia hadn’t expected Abyss’s personality to be so peculiar. She was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. After a long pause, her angry voice came through the spell link, “I advise you to watch your little mouth. I have the ability to sever the connection between you and Leona. If you don’t want her to leave you forever, watch what you say.”

“What are you planning? To claim Leona for yourself? You should be able to guess how much magic is needed to sustain her existence; hopefully, she won’t drain you dry. Or do you plan to simply let her turn to ash? Oh, if your master knew you personally destroyed the bargaining chip that could be used to negotiate with me just because you suffered a trivial insult, he would surely be delighted.” Abyss’s voice dripped with disdain. “Now it’s my turn to advise you to be honest. Don’t think everyone else is a fool; the person you’re trying to trick might be much smarter than you.”

“You!” Fidia, who had maintained a lazy and elegant demeanor, now lost her composure, infuriated by Abyss. “You will pay the price for this!”

“Pay the price for this? Spare me such idiotic jokes. We are now in a fight to the death; I have no intention of showing you any courtesy. Now tell me, how long until you arrive? You don’t have to tell me; as long as Leona is still around, I can estimate the time based on her location.” Abyss gave Fidia no chance to breathe, speaking rapidly like a machine gun, quickly seizing control of the conversation.

Fidia laughed out of extreme anger: “Ha, I can’t be bothered to play games with you either, you ill-mannered little beast. We will arrive at the Druid gathering tomorrow. It’s no secret; since you want to know, I, as your sister, will tell you. But things aren’t that simple. Besides me, many other guests will also visit Keshel. At that time, our hostages will be all the villagers in Keshel who haven’t been killed by the plague yet. I’d like to see what you, a fool who adheres to those four pieces of nonsense, will do.”

“…You now call the Necromancer’s creed the four pieces of nonsense?”

“That’s right, what can you do about it? They are nonsense, undoubtedly.” Fidia felt she had regained some ground, smiling smugly, adding, “Also, don’t even think about moving the villagers of Keshel. Our plague is pervasive. If you don’t want it spreading everywhere, slaughtering across the continent.”

“Then I really must thank you for the reminder, but I actually don’t plan on moving the villagers,” Abyss said. “Using their lives as a bargaining chip to exchange for the Sage’s Blood with me, right? I’ll think about it again. Don’t you dally either; get here soon, understand?”

After saying this, Abyss directly cut off the connection with Fidia.

Fidia, walking with Leona, suddenly stopped, stomping her foot. Her chest heaved violently, clearly furious. After calming down for a long while, she turned and glared fiercely at Leona.

“Your master Abyss is a damned freak!”

Leona, whose body was still being controlled and walking forward, felt extremely wronged: Isn’t it normal to lose face when talking to ABC? Even gods can’t maintain their dignity in front of him. Why glare at me? It’s not like I made him that way!

Chapter 92: Plague Magic

“Miss Rebecca!” A young Druid, sweating profusely, ran to Rebecca’s side and reported loudly, “The plague has mutated again! The villagers who just recovered are falling ill again!”

“Damn it!” Rebecca frowned tightly and slammed her fist on the table. The usually rational alchemist rarely showed such emotion.

“We just finished brewing a batch of our panacea. Take it with you first!” Maggie, standing nearby and stirring a bubbling potion in a large cauldron, instructed the young Druid.

Rebecca quickly composed herself and said, “Follow the previous procedure. Tell the villagers not to panic. How is Miss Flora doing?”

“Miss Flora is overwhelmed right now. The weak and critically ill villagers are receiving special treatment from her. Although it’s effective, each plague mutation causes them to relapse,” the young Druid, transformed into a large, strong bear, hoisted the potions brought over by the brewing Druids onto his back. “So, these villagers are basically lying near Miss Flora now. Master Belator said it’s alright.”

“Good, but remember, do not disturb Master Belator under any circumstances! No one except Flora should speak to him! What he’s doing is extremely important and cannot be interrupted,” Rebecca nodded quickly. “Follow the previous procedure, bring me a sample of the plague. I’ll start researching immediately!”

“Miss Rebecca… how long will these plague mutations continue?” The bear-Druid’s face showed utter exhaustion. “Everyone is dead tired. Even with the fatigue-relieving potion you prepared, many are still dazed.”

“We must hold on. This is definitely not a natural plague; someone is attacking us with magic! I will do everything in my power to find a way to turn the tide!” Rebecca said gravely.

“Okay, I’ll tell everyone!” The young Druid quickly left with the potions.

Rebecca let out a long sigh. She, too, felt utterly exhausted.

Since yesterday, the villagers of Keshel had been suffering from a strange illness: headaches, nausea, persistent high fever, and darkening skin. Initially thought to be a new plague treatable by the Druids, people soon realized it wasn’t that simple.

The Druids did have healing methods, using magic to boost resistance, but this time, their magic wasn’t effective. Patients showed slight improvement but none recovered fully. The disease spread rapidly throughout Keshel. Soon, except for the Druids who regularly used nature magic and remained mostly healthy, all villagers were infected. Keshel came to a complete standstill within an hour.

To prevent a large-scale outbreak, the Sages immediately decided to enforce a strict lockdown of Keshel, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving. Rebecca, alerted and emerging from her alchemy lab, took on the heavy burden of treating the sick.

Using a patient’s blood sample, Rebecca worked tirelessly in her lab for an hour (external time) and finally developed a specific cure for the plague. After the Druids distributed it, the villagers finally improved, weak but out of danger.

Just as everyone thought the crisis was over, another mutation occurred.

A different plague suddenly infected the recovering villagers. Those who were just about to rest collapsed again.

Forced to act, Rebecca developed another new cure at top speed. With the Druids’ help, they produced and distributed the medicine, healing the villagers once more. But then, yet another new plague emerged, striking down all the villagers again.

Observation revealed a horrifying truth: the plague seemed unkillable. Every three hours, it mutated into a completely different strain. No matter how effective Rebecca’s medicine was, it only cured the current stage. Every three hours, the villagers would be reinfected. After three such cycles, some were showing signs of breaking down.

Rebecca quickly developed a life-sustaining panacea. This potion couldn’t cure the disease but could keep the villagers alive, helping them hold on until a new specific cure was ready. However, the panacea’s effect was temporary. The Druids, using the production line techniques they had learned, worked frantically but could barely keep up with demand. Some healthier young people had to give up their share for the elderly, weak, and sick.

Despite these efforts, some still succumbed. Flora, guarding Abyss, also began treating some near-death patients with Divine Arts, with Abyss’s permission, naturally telling everyone it was healing magic.

A day had passed. The plague continued to mutate, and the villagers developed resistance to the panacea, making the situation even more critical.

Rebecca suspected this was an enemy attack. Plague… the word always seemed connected to Necromancers.

But Rebecca had no time to worry. After giving instructions, she immediately returned to her lab. Now, she had to keep the villagers alive, find a way to eradicate the plague completely, and fulfill the task Abyss had given her. All three were urgent, leaving her no time for anything else.

Back in the lab, she began researching improvements to the panacea, needing a new formula to counteract the villagers’ drug resistance.

As she worked, something occurred to her.

Leona had been unusually quiet lately while out fighting. Did she know something?

“Leona, are you there? Since yesterday, a strange plague has been spreading in Keshel. Do you know anything about it?” she quickly asked through the mind link.

After a period of silence, Leona’s reply came: “Ah, it’s Rebecca. A plague in Keshel? I have no idea. Maybe it’s the Lord of Bullying’s scheme?”

“The Lord of Bullying? Do you have any leads?”

“Plagues eliminate the weak, right? Maybe the Lord of Bullying did it. I don’t really know.”

“This… have you noticed anything unusual about the animals while you’ve been hunting and eating these past few days?”

“Rebecca, you’re joking again. How would I know? We undead don’t need to eat, right?”

“I see… In that case, definitely don’t come back, and don’t let any Druids return to the gathering. Keshel is extremely dangerous right now, understand?”

“Got it, Rebecca. Don’t worry, Leona’s got this!”

Rebecca ended the conversation with Leona. She frowned, pondering for a moment, then immediately contacted Abyss.

“Abyss, can you sense Leona’s approximate location? She’s been abducted. This plague might be the work of your former schoolmates; it’s a type of magic!”

Chapter 91: Abyss’s Senior Martial Sister

Leona’s body felt frozen.

She had only experienced this inability to move twice before. The first time was the near-death experience when she was killed by the backlash of chaotic Dou Qi. The second time was now.

She tried to move, but her consciousness seemed detached from her body. She couldn’t command her body to do anything, not even blink or make the slightest facial expression.

“Whew, truly the world’s strongest Dou Qi Master, Princess Leona. That throw just now was quite impressive,” the female Necromancer said with a smile, standing up and casually dusting herself off. “If I had approached you rashly, you probably would have turned me into paste before I could gain control, right?”

Leona desperately wanted to curse this despicable woman, but she was powerless.

“Oh, you might be confused about the current situation, but don’t worry. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fidia, a Necromancer – by seniority, I suppose I’m your master’s senior martial sister. I’m here to reclaim the Sage’s Blood that rightfully belongs to my master. Your master possesses power he shouldn’t have; it’s unreasonable,” the female Necromancer calmly walked over to Leona, gently patted her shoulder, and turned to leave.

After Fidia patted her shoulder, Leona immediately felt control of her body fall into Fidia’s hands. She began to follow Fidia uncontrollably.

She couldn’t speak and tried to contact Abyss through the necromantic link. The link was still active and connected to Abyss, but communication seemed jammed. No matter how she tried to send distress signals through the mind link, it was like throwing stones into the sea – no response.

“Oh, trying to use the spell link to tip off your master? Don’t waste your energy. His magic originates from the same source as mine, so I can interfere. By the way, every word you just said to him went straight into my ears,” Fidia turned back, giving Leona a smug smile, then said mockingly, “‘Abyss, I’ve been captured by your senior martial sister, she’s controlling me now, come save me quickly!’”

Leona realized she was completely dominated.

Fidia hadn’t directly seized control, possibly for two reasons: either she lacked the ability to transfer someone else’s familiar to herself, or she knew Leona’s immense power required an astronomical amount of magic to sustain, making her hesitant to claim Leona lest she be drained dry.

“Haha, Abyss, what an adorable nickname. It seems you two are quite close.”

Fidia walked briskly ahead, Leona following behind. They passed many people, including the Druid and the Golden Rose soldiers. Fidia snapped her fingers, uttered a short incantation, and they became invisible to those around them, who even greeted Leona as she passed.

Leona followed Fidia helplessly. She desperately wanted to kick the woman’s backside, but her body was no longer her own.

Thinking hard, Leona suddenly had an idea.

Fidia, walking ahead, stopped abruptly and turned back, looking coldly at Leona. “Who did you just call an old hag with two tumors on her chest?”

Since Fidia could intercept messages sent to Abyss, Leona could use their private channel to hurl insults, which would naturally reach Fidia. Although she couldn’t break free, Leona finally vented some frustration, feeling immensely satisfied.

Leona admitted Fidia was beautiful: she had the characteristic dark hair and strong features of southern humans, appearing to be around thirty, with striking looks, snow-white skin, and an impressive figure. There was even a subtle resemblance to Abyss in her movements. But the woman exuded an aura that instinctively repulsed Leona – sinister, narrow-minded, and arrogant.

“You want to use me as a hostage to exchange for the Sage’s Blood with Abyss?” Leona asked through the spell link.

“Ah, yes, you guessed it right away. Sister will reward you with a kiss – later, don’t get too excited,” Fidia replied through the link. The sensation was deeply unpleasant for Leona, like receiving a letter written on Abyss’s personal stationery by someone else – an indescribable aversion.

“Seriously, is this the level of Abyss’s senior martial sister? How could Abyss possibly give his blood to you? Doesn’t he want to live? If he dies, we cease to exist too, right? He’s not an idiot; how could this deal possibly work?” Leona didn’t hesitate to mock, her last form of resistance. “Tsk tsk tsk, it seems Abyss’s school has declined; the intelligence of his peers has dropped to this level.”

“Haha, Princess Leona, your tongue is as sharp as history records. But I advise you to save it. He has no choice in this transaction. Do you know how long I investigated before luring you out? We’ve been watching you ever since your master recklessly used large-scale magic to broadcast the Ossi princess’s self-mutilation!” Fidia turned back, sneering. “I know how much your master adores you and the other two little vixens. I must say, although he’s not the first in our school to fall in love with the dead, he’s certainly the most creative.”

“Where are you taking me?” Leona asked again.

“Oh, I don’t intend to waste much time, nor reveal too much of our intelligence to you. Although you’ll soon turn to dust, I’m not that careless,” Fidia said. “You’re about to be exchanged for the Sage’s Blood.”

“Fine, old woman. I hope you won’t be too disappointed when you realize your efforts were in vain.”

“Hmph, you little brat, quite strong-willed,” Fidia stopped, narrowing her eyes at Leona. “But, looking closely, you really are beautiful. Look at those pink, jelly-like soft lips. Sister really wants to kiss you hard…”

She gracefully walked towards Leona, bent down, and reached a hand towards Leona’s face.

“Keep your claws off me, if you don’t want to be torn apart by me in despair one day,” Leona’s cold voice suddenly came through the spell link.

Fidia paused, then withdrew her hand.

“Hmph, you think I care? Just wait and enjoy your master’s final performance.”