Volume 1
Chapter 1: The Necromancer Stole Something Important
“Roar!”
Within the dark, dust-filled underground palace, a knight’s armor, shimmering with magical runes, swung a massive hammer ablaze with the fiery flames of Dou Qi. With the force of a thousand jun, it smashed towards the lightly armored woman wielding a sword and shield standing before it.
The woman let out a furious shout, unhesitatingly raising her shield and bracing against it with all her might. Dazzling purple Dou Qi flames erupted around her. Behind her stood a young girl in a blue mage robe, who swiftly waved her wand, casting a thick magical shield around the woman.
“Boom!”
The hammer and steel shield collided, causing the surrounding air to warp and explode. A faint sound of crystal shattering echoed as the magical shield, after only a moment of resistance, crumbled. The woman coughed up blood, her joints cracking, yet the Dou Qi aura surrounding her blazed even brighter as she forcefully withstood the armor’s blow. Gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, she twisted her body, her sharp sword instantly severing the knight armor’s legs. Seizing the opportunity, she followed with a thrust, piercing the armor’s chest.
A flurry of crackling sounds erupted from within the armor, and a torrent of magical lightning, like a fountain, gushed from the pierced point before dissipating on the ground, leaving behind only a pile of ordinary armor.
“Haina… we’re here! Just ahead is Saint Flora’s tomb!” the woman said excitedly to the mage girl behind her. “As long as we get Saint Flora’s personal pendant, ‘The Fountain’s Draw,’ Her Highness the Princess will be saved! Saint Flora was the most powerful divine arts user in the continent’s history. Even her personal accessories possess powerful healing and calming effects. We’ll be able to… Wah!”
Before she could finish, she coughed up more blood, her expression turning weak.
“Captain!” Haina cried out in alarm.
“Cough… I’ll open the door for you. There should be more of these armored guards inside. I’ll hold them off as long as I can. You use the Levitation spell to grab the Fountain’s Draw and run. Don’t waste time on me,” the captain said with a wry smile.
“Everyone else in the squad is dead, Captain. You have to go back alive, or how will I explain it to everyone…” Tears streamed down Haina’s face.
“Now is not the time for such talk! Get the Fountain’s Draw and save Her Highness the Princess’s life! Save our country!” the captain roared hoarsely. “We acted on our own, intruding into Saint Flora’s sacred tomb. Even if we escape, the Church won’t spare me, the commander. But as long as the Princess survives that unspeakable monster that keeps appearing in her dreams, she can lead our people to restore our nation! Retrieve our last hope! Cough… Get ready!”
The captain staggered forward, mustering the last of her strength amidst exhaustion and pain, and forcefully pulled open the heavy stone door of the tomb.
“Woo—” A low growl suddenly echoed in their ears.
They both looked up. Standing behind the stone door were not the armored guards they had encountered along the way, but two colossal stone statues, each six men tall. Dazzling magical runes danced across their bodies, and a massive magical core in their chests spun and burned furiously. Just their presence exuded an aura of death that choked the captain and Haina’s throats.
“Su… Supreme Golems…” The captain and Haina’s hearts sank simultaneously.
Supreme Golems were the most powerful magical servants in the world. A single punch could pulverize even a formidable eighth-tier warrior, and their magical blasts rivaled the seventh-tier magic of a mage. Though the captain was a strong seventh-tier warrior, she stood no chance against them, not even a chance to escape. Why were there two of them in this tomb? Just how much had the Church invested in protecting this grave?
Now, forget holding them off; the captain and Haina wouldn’t even survive a second.
“It’s over…”
“Uoooooh!!” The Supreme Golems roared, their massive fists descending with a speed that defied their size. The captain and Haina’s vision instantly went dark.
Silence—
“Excuse me, may I interrupt?” A young man’s voice suddenly came from behind them.
The Supreme Golems’ fists hovered a foot above their heads. They quickly turned around. Behind them stood a slender young man in black cloth armor and a black cloak, seemingly appearing out of thin air.
He had ash-grey hair, turquoise eyes, pale skin, and a thin frame. Each finger on both hands was adorned with rings of various colors, making him appear eerily out of place in the dark tomb.
“Are you a mage from the Church…?” The captain finally gave in, her legs collapsing beneath her. “We’ve failed…”
Haina also slumped to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Wait, you’ve got it wrong. I don’t know anyone from the Church,” the young man said, waving his hands. His voice was low but pleasant. “I’m just an ordinary wild mage passing by. I saw two living people when I came in, so I thought I’d say hello.”
“Eh?” A glimmer of life returned to the captain’s unfocused eyes, and Haina stopped crying in surprise.
“You want the Saint’s belongings, right?” The young man smiled, revealing his pearly white teeth. “I don’t like to stand by and watch people die. It makes me feel useless. Since I’m here anyway, and I don’t need that thing, I’ll give it to you. In return, just don’t go blabbing about me after you get out.”
“Are you crazy? You can’t possibly defeat…” The captain instinctively questioned, but as she looked up, she saw that the Supreme Golems seemed to be bound by some invisible force, trembling violently but unable to move an inch.
“So, deal?” The young man nodded with satisfaction. “No one can refuse a deal this good, it’s like a Magic Swordsman’s heart.”
Before he finished speaking, he raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
“Gaaaaah!!!” A green light shot out from beneath the young man’s robe, instantly coalescing into a giant skull in mid-air. The skull emitted a chilling shriek, but its eyes, burning with green flames, were focused on the Supreme Golems like well-trained hounds.
“You have five seconds. Take them out,” the young man said calmly.
“Gaaaah!” The green light on the skull intensified, its eyes flashing with a blinding radiance. The terrifying magical fluctuations nearly stopped the captain and Haina’s hearts.
The golems raised their heads, opened their mouths, and unleashed scorching magical waves.
At that moment, dazzling beams shot from the skull’s eyes, colliding with the golems’ magical blasts.
The shockwave instantly pulverized a large swathe of floor tiles, sending debris raining down from the walls. The captain and Haina were blown off their feet, pressed firmly against the ground. The green-eyed young man stood leisurely in the center of the explosion, his robe flapping in the strong wind.
Rumble!
The golems’ magical waves melted like snow in a fire before the skull’s beams. Each beam struck a golem, and the magically resistant golems were instantly blasted into white-hot fragments.
The deafening echoes reverberated through the underground palace for more than ten seconds before gradually fading.
Having finished this, the young man strolled through the shattered stone door, kicked apart a clay funerary urn next to the coffin, rummaged through it, and tossed a small object to the captain.
The stunned captain, still on the ground, caught the object the young man threw. A tingling sensation spread through her wounds. She focused her gaze and saw a teardrop-shaped moonstone pendant in her hand—the very “Fountain’s Draw” that their entire squad had risked their lives for?
“It’s the Fountain’s Draw!” Haina cried tears of joy as she saw the pendant in the captain’s hand.
The captain clutched the Fountain’s Draw tightly, biting her lower lip as she stared at the young man who seemed to be casually browsing through the tomb.
Just who was he? His magic seemed to be necromancy. Could he be a necromancer?
Necromancers were the Church’s sworn enemies! Divine arts naturally countered necromancy, and any necromancer with common sense would avoid the Church at all costs… But why was he here… What was he planning?
The young man fumbled around the coffin and then lifted the lid, adorned with various gems, revealing the Saint’s ornate coffin! He didn’t stop there; he reached inside and started rummaging around.
That was the body of a Church Saint! Desecrating a Saint’s body was a far greater sin than the captain stealing a pendant!
Right before the captain and Haina’s eyes, the young man’s movements became increasingly bizarre. He reached into the coffin, seemingly grabbing something, and slowly pulled it out.
The captain and Haina’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads—from within the coffin, a stunningly beautiful young woman with long blonde hair, dressed in a magnificent gown and with closed eyes, slowly sat up as the young man pulled her out.
“He… he…” Haina trembled all over. “The Church will chase him to the ends of the earth…”
The young man helped the Saint’s now-sitting body step out of the coffin and onto the ground. Her eyes were now open, but although her body had been preserved by the Church’s magic and remained unchanged from her lifetime, her eyes were cloudy and unfocused, devoid of any expression. The underground palace was silent, except for the rustling of the Saint’s clothes as she moved and the desperate gasps of the captain and Haina as they tried to suppress their breathing.
“What does he want with the Saint’s body…” The captain’s expression was a mixture of confusion and fear. Her premonition had been correct. He was a necromancer, and a powerful one at that!
“Let’s go,” the young man said to the Saint’s body in a gentle voice.
The Saint’s body obediently took a step forward, but her joints seemed stiff, and she nearly fell before the young man caught her.
“Hmm… It seems we’ll have to wait a bit longer. In that case, I’ll carry you,” the young man said, stroking his chin as he opened his arms towards the Saint’s body.
The Saint’s body obediently opened her arms and clumsily nestled into the young man’s embrace.
“Flora is so cute… ♪” The young man chuckled softly as he held the Saint horizontally, seemingly delighted. He then started walking towards the exit.
The captain and Haina were completely dumbfounded.
As he passed them, the young man smiled and offered a parting remark: “I’ve already deactivated all the remaining traps along the way. Don’t tell anyone what I look like after you get out, okay? Although it doesn’t really matter if you do, I’d just have to dismantle the Church as a precaution. I hate chaos, you see.”
And so, this mysterious young man, brazenly carrying the body of the Church’s most talented and revered Saint as if he were on a casual stroll, walked towards the exit.
“He! He’s a necrophili…”
The captain swiftly covered Haina’s mouth.
***
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Dou Qi (斗气): Also translated as “Battle Qi” or “Fighting Aura.” It’s a form of internal energy cultivated by warriors, granting them superhuman strength and abilities.
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