Chapter 87: Long Live the Emperor (6)

Gith-Za-Rai's words eluded my understanding, her meaning beyond my grasp. The sight before me proved equally incomprehensible—utterly beyond belief. Inside the pit, the most astonishing scene unfolded.

Bones of ogres, trolls, orcs, and humans formed an army of thousands of skeletons. They clattered and surged toward the emperor's carriage and the imperial guards like waves. Their numbers were so overwhelming that annihilation felt inadequate to describe it. White bones filled the massive pit, reducing the emperor's procession to a mere speck within it. Gith-Za-Rai’s army hadn't followed her—they had arrived long ago and had been eagerly waiting.

Most striking of all were the headless knights, cloaked in black mist, emitting streams of pitch-black energy. Though faceless, they expressed themselves by swinging their swords.

One of the black knights shouted, "Receive the sword of Ser Gilaut!"

His voice came from his throat— an empty, severed throat spewing dark miasma that enveloped him.

They called themselves "Ser" and not "Sir," a term used by knights over two centuries ago. The headless black knights moved swiftly among the white bones. They reached the front lines with explosive momentum and slashed at the guards.

The guards, however, didn't simply stand by. Each was a masterful warrior trained to protect the emperor under any circumstances. They swung their swords, glowing with a faint blue aura. There were even two wizards from Azure accompanying them.

First of all, the ground had collapsed suddenly, shocking everyone. Even the most disciplined knights lost their balance as they plunged downward. Second, as the knights fell, countless weapons impaled them. Third, for the Dullahans and Skeleton Knights, this moment marked their long-awaited opportunity. The imperial guards, however, faced a completely unforeseen disaster.

Lastly, a massive mandala was drawn on the ground below. I wanted to ask what it meant, but there was no time. Gith-Za-Rai was walking down into the pit.

Whoosh!

A spear flew toward Gith-Za-Rai from inside the pit. Even though the skeletons were being smashed to pieces, they regenerated endlessly. Thus, throwing a spear at Gith-Za-Rai had been a calculated decision. The spear, crafted entirely of steel, glowed with a faint, pale blue energy, and its razor-sharp tip gleamed.

Gith-Za-Rai tilted her head slightly, a cold smile on her lips. "That was a well-thrown spear."

She didn't dodge the spear, which seemed poised to rip her head off. Instead, she reached out and caught it mid-air.

The spear trembled in her hand. She reversed it, gripping it with the tip now facing the other way.

Gith-Za-Rai taunted, "Did you think I'd let it hit me?"

She took a step back, then stepped forward and hurled the spear back toward its origin. The spear flew so fast it seemed to vanish with a speed akin to an explosion.

Whizz!

Was that her throw?

The counterattack was aimed at the captain in mithril armor surrounded by broken skeletons and shattered shields. He rode alone, cutting through the waves of bones as he charged toward our side.

A resounding clang echoed as the captain in mithril armor barely deflected the spear with his sword.

The captain staggered under the intense impact, ultimately dropping to one knee. His helmet wavered. As the kneeling captain struggled, dozens of skeletons and four dullahans surged toward him.

Gith-Za-Rai ignored the knights and walked toward the two wizards. I glanced at them. They seemed relatively unscathed, likely having used magic to soften their fall. Though uninjured, they were clearly rattled. Their attempts to appear composed seemed painfully awkward.

The Wizards of Azure carried staffs preloaded with layered spells, ready to use at any moment. Normally prepared to display their might, they now hesitated to cast spells freely. Their specialties—ice and lightning—were wide-area spells. With the guards tangled in a dense melee battle with the skeletons, Frost Nova or Chain Lightning would clearly harm their allies the most.

The wizards clicked their tongues and cursed.

The hunched wizard tried to summon holy magic, but failed. "Damn it!"

First of all, it wasn't his specialty, and worse—

"Damn it... Holy magic is being suppressed! I can't gather power!" The hunched wizard lamented further, "An Anti-Divine Mandala... Damn, this cursed wench!"

Terror flooded his eyes like a rising tide as he watched the approaching necromancer. Gith-Za-Rai picked up a sword from the ground that a fallen guard had dropped. Though she hadn't chosen it deliberately, its quality wasn't bad.

She gripped the sword and walked toward the wizards, their magical energy gathered around them.

The white-bearded wizard, Erepor, forced out a threatening question: "Do you dare challenge wizards with nothing but a sword?"

His staff trembled in his grip as he added, "Don't be foolish!"

Erepor stepped forward and swung his staff. A compressed burst of flames shot toward Gith-Za-Rai. She swung the sword she had picked up.

Magic Dispel.

With a simple downward motion, the intensely compressed flames split in half. Gith-Za-Rai advanced without a single scorch mark.

Erepor's eyes shook. In their murky depths, anger and denial swirled. "What... What is this?"

The wizard chanted and unleashed his full power with no restraints.

"Freeze!"

Crack!

The air and ground froze into a fan-like pattern, turning pure white. Everything between the wizard and the necromancer, including knights and skeletons, was frozen solid. In an instant, they lost their lives and became ice.

At least five guards perished. The knights hesitated. The captain, who should have intervened, was still surrounded by four Dullahans.

"So extreme," Gith-Za-Rai muttered, leaping back to avoid the area of effect.

The hunched wizard didn't stop Erepor's frost attack. Instead, he unleashed another spell stored in his staff.

"Burn!"

Whoosh!

Flames erupted from his staff, licking the air like living tongues. The fire scorched the grass white without touching anything directly and leaped toward the necromancer.

Gith-Za-Rai swung her sword again. This time, her blade emitted a blazing aura that resembled fire. A visibly sharp blue sword aura flickered on her weapon as if doused in oil and set aflame. It was far more vivid and intense than the sword auras the guards had displayed.

What on earth is that?

Boom!

The flickering sword aura twisted and wriggled, slashing through the massive whip of flames flying toward it. The flames erupted violently, and the frozen skeletons and knights shattered into pieces under the pressure. The knights gritted their teeth as they watched their comrades, armor and all, burst apart. However, there was no time to blame the wizards.

Indifferent to their allies' deaths, white skeletons swarmed the knights in dozens of groups. Even when smashed, the skeletons reassembled themselves almost instantly. I could only stand a short distance away, dumbfounded, watching this surreal scene unfold.

The wizards swung their staffs in turn. The ground froze, and the sky burned. Caught in the crossfire, knights and skeletons alike perished. Gith-Za-Rai, however, skillfully evaded their attacks while continuously dispelling their magic. It seemed as though she was either stalling for time or herding the wizards to a specific location.

The two wizards were not fools. Their titles as Wizards of Azure were not empty. They also studied Gith-Za-Rai's patterns. Gradually, they poured their arcane reserves into their staffs. The power accumulating in the staffs of the two old men reached a point where it was barely controllable.

They thought that if she attempted to dispel their magic again, she would surely disintegrate into ashes, unable to withstand the force. With flushed faces, the two wizards pointed their staffs at Gith-Za-Rai. Yet, it seemed she was no longer interested in playing along.

With a mocking expression, she furrowed her brows and said, "You should take a look around, don't you think?"

The wizards looked around. There was no one left. No allies. While the two wizards had been reveling in their display of ice and fire, the imperial guards had been completely annihilated.

"This... this absurd army!"

"Absurd? That's harsh. I spent three months preparing for this. Don't think it was all meaningless."

The wizards were at a loss as to where to direct their spells. Skeletons swarmed them, and the black miasma-spewing Dullahans surrounded them. They considered using their magic to escape and report this incident. Their options for escape were limited—perhaps the Imperial Palace or the Tower. Alternatively, they contemplated eliminating the insolent necromancer standing before them.

While they hesitated over where to focus their power, Gith-Za-Rai seized the moment. She checked on her puppets. Several ogre skeletons, tied to invisible strings and stationed at the rear, were already lifting the emperor's carriage. The man riding inside had fallen to the ground, and the Dullahans subdued him.

Gith-Za-Rai tugged on her invisible strings.

Boom!

The carriage flipped over and crashed into the two wizards. The wizards panicked and unleashed their stored power, but the falling carriage was no ordinary object. Inside it were densely packed magical inscriptions: the Mandala of Magical Contradiction, self-negation curses, amplification-reflection barriers, and countless other ancient runes, some even beyond Gith-Za-Rai's comprehension.

The luxurious carriage was inscribed with the highest-level grand magic symbols, leaving no room for their power to escape. The magic the wizards had gathered rebounded entirely within the confines of the carriage.

Their final screams echoed from within. The carriage burned and froze simultaneously. No energy leaked outside. Caught in their own magic, the two old men perished. The massive mandala drawn on the ground rippled, absorbing the remnants of their energy.

Gith-Za-Rai raised her hand. "Rise."

The knights who had died in the magical chaos began to rise slowly. Meanwhile, the black dots on the battlefield—the headless Dullahans—started gathering around her. Some were already standing by her side. Following her gestures, others slowly regenerated, enveloped in black mist.

These were all once-famous warriors. For the undead, all that remained was the honor of their past and the opportunity to fight for their master. Thus, they proclaimed themselves.

"Gilaut of the East has added more comrades."

Gith-Za-Rai raised her hand in acknowledgment. "

Ah

, Gilaut! Excellent work."

"Unyielding Owain. Though the body is gone, the swordsmanship lives on."

"As expected of Owain! Even in life, you swept every tournament."

"Andrei the Heartbreaker."

"So, how many hearts did you crush today?"

"Seven, my lord. It was worth it—they belonged to valiant warriors."

"Swift Fenrir. Not swift enough today, it seems."

"It's fine, it's fine. The opponent was tough—it was the captain, after all."

"Pale Hamelain. Draining the enemy of blood was somewhat successful."

"Splendid. Draining blood well is the key to good meat, after all."

The five Dullahans exuded black killing intent.

I was horrified.

Is this what a true necromancer is?

The difference between Gith-Za-Rai and the other necromancers I'd seen was as vast as the size difference between an insect and a dragon.

Gith-Za-Rai checked the inside of the carriage. Two charred and frozen corpses lay within. They had unleashed magic, but they couldn't control it in the end.

Gith-Za-Rai lamented, "Such a pity. If I'd had more time, I could've studied these ones..."

I asked, "Study? What do you mean?"

"Turn them into liches."

I quickly understood what she meant. She intended to resurrect the wizards and add them to her army.

The Wizards of Azure... is that even possible?

It was a grotesque thought, but this necromancer defied both reason and predictability.

Tap. Tap.

Gith-Za-Rai said, "Well then... time to finish up. Let's check things over."

Gith-Za-Rai stepped away from the carriage and approached the man lying on the ground.

The emperor?

The man clad in opulent golden attire wore a small jade crown to prove his identity. A large mithril ring, likely used as a seal, gleamed on his finger. Gith-Za-Rai inserted a small transparent tube into the man's neck. Overwhelmed by the situation, the man offered no resistance.

He was a fine-featured silver-haired man with red eyes, but his looks provided no advantage in this scenario. Blood filled the tube up to a finger's length before it glowed violet.

"Genetic verification complete. It's him."

Verification?

I had heard that the Free Confederation and Embermere possessed technologies beyond the Empire's reach, but this was unexpected.

Gith-Za-Rai delivered her final words to the silver-haired emperor. "Time to die."

The man stared blankly at Gith-Za-Rai as she slashed his throat with her claw.

Blood spurted out.

As his life ebbed away, the emperor muttered in a daze, "Long live the emperor..."