Necromancer Order.
They were a demonic cult that once existed on this continent a very long time ago.
The Necromancer Order believed that humanity should unite under a single purpose.
That purpose was to overcome the “First Law of Life” — the rule that once a living being dies, all activity ceases and silence follows. To them, breaking this law was the true liberation and evolution of humankind.
That’s why they studied the existence of the “sinister wave” and developed “necromantic magic,” which could artificially create undead beings.
They then formed an undead legion and gradually expanded their influence.
Their ultimate goal was to turn all of humanity into undead and completely free them from the First Law of Life.
But their ideals were never realized.
The Necromancer Order was destroyed, and their undead legions vanished from the surface of the world.
Though their necromantic magic spread across the world, very few necromancers became as fanatical as the Order had been.
Occasionally, one would appear who even transformed themselves into an undead to pursue great power, but they were quickly hunted down as evil sorcerers.
Even so, the legacy of the Necromancer Order was not completely erased.
A very small number of disciples survived and passed down the Order’s teachings to their descendants. They waited, dreaming of the Order’s resurrection.
Among those remnants, a few finally succeeded — after long years of effort — in accessing the underground catacombs where the Order’s reserve forces lay dormant.
Although the academy had set up defensive magic around the island to keep outsiders away, the cultists bypassed this by gaining the identity of “passenger ship crew.”
Once they arrived at the catacombs, they used passwords passed down through generations to reach the inner sanctum.
And through a primitive magical ritual that sacrificed their own lives, they awakened the undead army that had slept for ages.
Thousands of mummies.
A red light began to glow in their hollow eye sockets.
As the ancient spellwork reactivated, the “embalmed corpses” awakened as “undead soldiers who move according to command.”
They weren’t just dried out. Their bodies had been thoroughly preserved with chemicals.
The Necromancer Codex also contained instructions on creating mummy soldiers — a way to overcome the limits of zombie troops.
Mummy soldiers retained the brutal strength typical of zombies but overcame one of their greatest weaknesses: the gradual decay that reduced their combat ability.
Thanks to their long-term stability, they were well-suited to receive powerful enhancement spells, and higher-tier mummies could even use skeletal memory.
Though they were much more expensive to create, mummy soldiers were far superior in combat power compared to ordinary zombies or skeleton warriors.
There are at least four-digit numbers of mummy soldiers here… We can’t handle this with just the people on the island!
Currently, Professors Murselt and Sylvia of the Biological Department were on the island, along with their assistants. Professor Klein, an instructor of the Top Class, was also present.
But Murselt’s biological enhancement magic and Sylvia’s healing spells were poorly suited to fight a mummy legion.
Even Klein couldn’t handle a four-digit undead force.
“Damn it, everyone, run!” Helios shouted urgently.
“If we stay here, we’re all dead! It’ll take time before the mummy legion fully activates — we have to get out now!”
“W-Will we be okay if we run fast enough?!”
“We have no choice — we need to get out of the dungeon and escape the island by boat!”
At that, Cain frowned and shook his head.
“No. I don’t think the boat can be used anymore.”
“What?”
“The ones who carried out this ritual were the passenger ship crew. They probably sabotaged the ship’s magic engine to keep us from escaping the island.”
Corpses of the crew were piled up on the altar.
They had come here prepared to sacrifice their lives. If so, they certainly wouldn’t have left an escape route.
“Wait, then what about these corpse soldiers? They can’t leave the island either, right?”
“Who knows — I’m sure they have a plan.”
“A plan?”
“There’s a magic user on that side.”
“…!”
Hearing Cain’s words, everyone looked up.
There was a stone gate on the altar, and it was slowly opening.
No way…
Boom.
As the stone door opened, a sinister aura seeped out.
It was thick — enough to remind them of the vampire they had previously encountered.
Amidst the spreading evil energy, a figure in a pitch-black robe emerged.
Beneath that robe… was a skeleton, without a trace of flesh.
“A s-skeleton? Is it a skeleton soldier?”
“N-No!”
Hearing Senia’s question, Ingrid raised her voice.
“That’s a powerful necromancer who turned their own body into an undead… someone who overcame the First Law of Life and gained immortality — an undying mage!”
That’s right.
It was a mage.
Completely different from an ordinary skeleton — the flesh had simply been discarded, leaving only the bones.
“An undead not by birth but by choice — yet capable of rivaling vampires in power… a Lich!”
“…!”
“We’re all dead…!”
An ancient mage who had slept here for ages alongside the mummy soldiers now revealed themselves before us.
“Woooh……”
How much time had passed?
Unable to even guess, the Lich Abydos let out a deep sigh, realizing that countless years had gone by.
“O descendants…”
He understood it instantly.
The blood-soaked corpses collapsed atop the altar.
They had offered their lives to conduct the ritual.
“Remarkable… truly remarkable…”
The undead legion stationed here—and Abydos, the commander leading them—could not awaken on their own.
Their mission had been to wait here indefinitely until a command came down from the higher ranks.
But if the descendants had sacrificed themselves to carry out the awakening ritual, that meant there were no higher ranks left to issue such orders.
“O descendants, your hearts are truly admirable. Even after all these long years, you have carried on the ideals of the cult.”
How commendable.
Thinking this, Abydos slowly raised his arm.
In his hand was the magical staff forged by the Necromancer Order—the Rod of the Red Moon.
“I shall grant you a reward worthy of your sacrifice.”
Wiiing…
A spell formed silently at the tip of the Rod of the Red Moon.
And then, the corpses lying upon the altar began to twitch.
But they had not returned as mere zombies.
“Rise.”
Snap!
Bones burst forth from the corpses.
Like shedding clothes, they tore through skin and muscle, leaving only the skeletons rising to their feet.
“Consider it an honor. You have become warriors who transcend the First Law of Life.”
Death Warriors.
Skeletal warriors of a different caliber from ordinary skeleton soldiers.
They retained no trace of their former human personalities… but they had been reborn as death-bound warriors who fought for the Necromancer Order.
“…”
The Death Warriors said nothing.
They simply stood, glowing red light flickering in the void of their eye sockets.
But if a command came from the superior being known as the Lich Priest, they would immediately charge at the enemy and commence a merciless slaughter.
“And now…”
Abydos’s gaze finally shifted elsewhere.
The humans fidgeting nervously in the front—still just children.
Abydos had not yet determined what they were.
“Answer me, mortals.”
The moment he said this, the girl at the very back collapsed to her knees.
Overcome with fear, her legs had given out.
“Why are you in this place?”
They didn’t seem to be comrades of the descendants who had just become Death Warriors.
Their clothes were different. Their ages didn’t match.
If they were just ordinary people unrelated to the cult… there would be no need to show them any respect.
“Answer.”
Abydos raised the Rod of the Red Moon.
There were five children before him now.
To gather information about this era, he only needed to keep one alive.
The other four… could be killed and turned into undead.
“O beautiful, radiant Red Moon… law of necromancy…”
At that moment—
A clear voice rang out through the underground chamber.
“Free us from the limits of life. Let us escape the shackles of vitality and reach a higher state.”
Five children.
Among them, one boy alone remained calm, raising his voice as he looked up at Abydos.
“Let the will of the Red Moon be fulfilled upon this land. May this ground be filled with the blessings of necromancy.”
“Ooooh…”
“We offer eternal glory, awaiting the day when all life shall be free from life itself.”
“Oooooh…!”
Abydos could not hide his astonishment.
The phrases the boy was reciting were shockingly accurate.
“You… How do you know the First Prayer of Necromancy…?!”
As Abydos stood there stunned, the boy knelt on one knee.
“Great ancestor, Lich Priest. Your humble junior offers his greetings.”
“Oooooh! You too are a descendant of the Necromancer Order…!”
Hearing the unnamed boy perfectly recite the prayer, the Lich was deeply moved.
“Hey, Eriol! Just now, you—Mmph!”
Helios started to yell from behind, but Cain quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
Seeing that neither Senia nor Ingrid was reacting, I spoke respectfully.
“I am one who follows the will of the cult, Lich Priest.”
“Ohh, even at such a young age…!”
The Lich looked at me in awe.
Seeing that, I knew my plan had worked.
‘Thanks to Professor Piotr leaving behind a lot of notes from the Necromancers Codex…’
The notes from the Necromancers Codex.
Most of the cult’s twisted teachings had been removed.
But the preface was left almost intact.
While the descriptions of the “Red Moon”—the cult’s revered absolute being—were removed, the prayer dedicated to the Red Moon had remained.
“Young descendant, if you truly carry on the will of the Necromancer Order… then show me proof.”
But the Lich demanded additional evidence.
Hearing that, I reached into my coat and drew forth the Drake Fang.
‘If it’s this…’
I cast Summon Dead, and called forth the Deathvice.
The towering Dragon Fang Soldier appeared at once, prompting the Lich to gasp.
“To summon a Dragon Fang Soldier without a chant—truly splendid!”
Though his skull had no expression, the joy in his voice was unmistakable.
This Lich… was genuinely pleased with me.
“I believe you. You are indeed an heir of the Necromancer Order!”
Realizing I’d earned his trust, I sighed in relief inwardly.
Then I signaled with my eyes to Senia, who was waiting beside me.
“…”
Senia responded with just her gaze.
That alone was enough to confirm we were on the same page.
‘Yeah. We have that sword Professor Hephaestus gave us.’
There was no way we could take on this massive undead legion with our current strength. Even with the professors help, it would be impossible.
But the undead soldiers were likely subordinate to the Lich now standing before us.
So if we could take down just the Lich, there was a high chance the army would remain dormant.
‘We’ll trick that Lich into thinking I’m a true descendant of the cult… and then, when the time is right…’
Before leaving for the catacombs, we had received the weapon we requested from Hephaestus.
It was far more powerful than what we had originally asked for—a true “magical weapon.”
Hephaestus hadn’t said so directly, but from his tone, it sounded like my uncle Kaisel had also had a hand in its creation.
‘With this sword, we can do it.’
Two swords infused with Kaisel’s spiritual origin—Dissolution.
Senia and I each wore one at our hips.
If we used those to catch the Lich off guard… we could bring him down.
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