The Necromancer Who Was Despised - The Necromancer Who Was Despised chapter 264

The sea was a place as dangerous as the great forest, where powerful monsters lived, and using ships was like risking one’s life.

There were fishermen, but it was a job that really put their lives on the line, and they could only engage in fishing activities with great caution in a few relatively safe areas.

Therefore, this world did not have large-scale ship development, and using ships for supply was a risky business that could only be chosen in desperate situations.

It might be successful once or twice, but it would eventually fail, and the empire would also avoid using regular sea routes.

The problem was that this was a desperate situation, and the impact of even one or two supply attempts was huge, so we had to block it ourselves.

To do that, we needed a place to station ourselves, and Yeriya said there was a good spot, so we came here… but there was already a fortress built here.

Of course, Yeriya’s words were correct.

That place was very close to this supply route, and it was a suitable location where we could see the entire area at a glance.

It was a terrain similar to a bay, overlooking the coastline, a natural fortress.

And it was until a real fortress was built in that place….

“It’s an unpleasant atmosphere.”

Moreover, there was even a demilitarized, temporary shrine remaining in that place.

It was possible to occupy this place in a short time because of the undead’s characteristic of not knowing fatigue and the fact that the shrine was almost defenseless or relatively weak.

It’s understandable.

Maintaining a shrine requires a tremendous amount of divine power, and it takes a lot of time to make a region a permanent shrine.

Therefore, no matter how strong the empire’s military power is, making the entire neutral zone a shrine would be an extremely long-term plan, and it would be a waste to maintain all the shrines in this region, given that the opposing faction, the alliance of different species, has already been pushed back.

“Most of the military power is currently deployed at the front line, I suppose.”

However, that place was still maintaining its shrine, recognizing its importance.

Moreover, considering how important it was, they had already built a fortress in that terrain in just a few months after occupying the neutral zone.

And, of course, there were soldiers remaining inside the fortress, watching us with utmost tension.

“What do we do?”

I was puzzled.

Should we ignore it and explore other places, or should we destroy the fortress and take over that place?

Honestly, exploring other places wouldn’t be a problem.

Cutting off just one supply route would disrupt the entire supply chain.

However…

“Time is running out.”

By now, the alliance of different species should have launched their attack.

At the same time, the empire would also be making a move.

They’re not fools. Although they were caught off guard by our surprise attack, they’re not incompetent.

It was a well-executed surprise attack, after all.

By now, the bishop in charge of this region should be returning to the neutral zone.

We had to decide on a place to station our troops as quickly as possible.

“It’s not like it’s easy to take that place down, though.”

We couldn’t know how much military power was inside.

But judging from the remaining shrine, there should be quite a few priests.

Of course, no matter how many troops they had, we would be stronger.

The problem was time.

If their reinforcements arrived while they were holding out, it would be quite troublesome.

“Bring out the main body.”

I looked at Tinos at his words.

“As Yeoriya said, it’s the best terrain. If possible, it would be good to take over that place.”

“…Is there any meaning in you going out there?”

There was no particular restriction on Tinos going out.

He just had to open a dimensional fragment, and that would be the end of it.

Then, the fortress would surely be relatively easy to destroy.

It’s not that we didn’t know that; it’s just that we weren’t using it.

“It’s not just the fortress that’s the problem, but the terrain itself will become meaningless if it disappears.”

The 8-class magic has a fundamentally different range.

Tinus told me that 8-class magic naturally increases its range as it amplifies its destructive power beyond its limits.

By sacrificing some control, the magic increases its destructive power, making it impossible for an 8-class to fully control its range. If that were possible, it would be a 9-class.

Even Tinus, who has some control, has a clear limit.

From the start, the magic’s destructive power was a result of sacrificing some control, which is why it’s called a natural disaster. If we were to destroy the fortress itself, it would be fitting for Tinus to take action, but if we were to occupy it, Tinus’s involvement would be problematic.

Moreover, there’s a sacred site remaining there.

The surrounding terrain is broken, and it’s not impossible for the fortress to withstand it.

If Tinus were a 9-class, it might be possible, but with the restrictions of being an undead and an 8-class, it wouldn’t be easy.

“I’ll use a different method. It’ll just consume a lot of magic.”

“That’s okay. We have plenty of reserves left.”

I said so, tapping the El’osette staff in my hand.

In reality, we hadn’t consumed much of our stored resources.

“Then let’s start right away.”

I immediately opened a dimensional fragment, and Tinus’s avatar dove inside.

And…

“……!”

The fortress’s soldiers were all shaken.

The undead dragon, Tinus the dragon king.

It was only natural that they wouldn’t be able to remain calm, given that the dragon had revealed its true form as an undead.

Next, his exclusive necropolis appeared, following his revelation.

Tinus immediately took to the skies, gazing down at the fortress and beginning to absorb magic at an incredible speed.

“…Kk.”

Even I was taken aback, reminiscent of when he first revealed himself.

The fortress hastily erected multiple layers of protection, and a massive divine power began to flow from the sacred site.

It was clear that, at that level, there was no way for me to break through.

But Tinus was different.

Tinus’s mouth opened wide, and a massive amount of condensed magic burst forth.

Breath.

A unique ability of dragons, condensing mana to release it, which was said to be on par with their magic in terms of destructive power.

Fundamentally, dragons are capable of using 9-class-level magic at will, which is why their breath is also referred to as such.

However, the current Tinus is weaker than in his dragon days, so I think his power isn’t that great.

But even so, it was worthy of being called a breath.

Boom!

Dozens of protection layers shattered in an instant, and the sacred site’s massive divine power dispersed.

Whoosh.

The black, beam-like breath, reminiscent of a pillar of light, pierced through the fortress and incinerated it.

“Inferno….”

Tinus is a gold dragon, a dragon king.

However, his breath was like condensed flames, and the fortress was indeed being destroyed and burned simultaneously.

The cause was obvious.

“It’s my influence.”

A new attribute I acquired.

It seemed to have affected Tinus’s Breath as well.

Tinus, who had destroyed the fortress, asked me with a lowered tone.

-Is your magic quantity okay?

Upon his question, I immediately checked my remaining magic quantity. And I was shocked.

With just one Breath, more than half of the magic inside my staff had disappeared.

If I thought about the magic within Tinus’s main body as well…

“It’s not like I didn’t use it.”

It seemed that the main body’s magic was being conserved.

After all, the main body had to be stored inside the dimensional fragments again, so I understood.

Of course, even so, the magic consumption was ridiculous.

“What kind of technique is this, consuming half of the stored quantity in one hit….”

It was a storage capacity equivalent to one Dragon Heart. Consuming half of it in one hit was unbelievable.

Tinus responded to my muttering.

-Currently, the efficiency is poor due to the low level. However, I adjusted the power to make it sufficient, so at least some magic remained. If not, it would have been completely consumed.

“…Lower the power?”

As I turned my head, I saw humans who had survived the Breath struggling to stay alive.

The fortress was completely destroyed, and the dimensional fragments’ function was lost due to the massive magic invasion.

It seemed that the magic couldn’t be purified, and the fortress couldn’t handle it.

At least the terrain we had explored remained relatively intact, thanks to the fortress being targeted.

The entrance had become a bit wider, though.

-Then, can I leave the remaining processing to you?

“…Yeah. Good job.”

I finally understood why he had been telling me to reach 8th Circle without hesitation.

If I could reach 8th Circle, I could do that much. Of course, Elroset’s staff was unexpected, but even without it, there would be no problem using Breath or 8th Circle magic.

I could use the remaining magic in my main body.

From noble mtl dot net

The staff had increased its utilization rate a bit.

Being able to make him the commander was one of the best fortunes in this life.

As he returned to his avatar form, I cleaned up the remaining forces in the fortress.

Needless to say, there were no survivors.

I processed everything and stored the corpses separately.

After tidying up the area, I decided to make this place our base.

At the same time, I looked at the remaining traces of the fortress and drew one conclusion.

“This… can be used, right?”

Although it was almost destroyed, I saw a way to utilize some parts.

At the same time, thanks to the massive magic consumption from Breath, the area was overflowing with magic.

The fortress had been completely erased, too.

I immediately gathered the Dark Elf mages and requested cooperation from Tinus as well.

Those who heard my words seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded their heads as if they thought it was worth a try.

“I have experience in matching rhythms on the exchange route…”

“The environment is also suitable.”

The next day.

“…That’s…”

The Imperial support troops arrived faster than expected, and they witnessed a gray fortress filled with an unfamiliar, eerie magic that was unlike their memories.

◈ Neutral Zone

Rinin, the archbishop who had responded to the gathering, hastily turned his horse around upon receiving news that the neutral zone was being attacked by a necromancer, a dark magician, and was in a state of chaos.

Meanwhile, the neutral zone had suffered a massive blow, and one of its exchange routes was completely blocked.

At the same time, he realized that this attack was related to the interspecies alliance.

He suspected that another supply route might also be blocked, and that was indeed the case.

It was something he couldn’t help but notice.

Rinin immediately sent people to a nearby port and mobilized ships and sailors.

Although they were called sailors, most of them were criminals or descendants of criminals, so they had to deploy a significant number of troops on that side.

It was obvious they would resist.

However, he had to send supplies to the front lines no matter what.

If all the supply routes were blocked, the front lines would be isolated.

The interspecies alliance, which had once been defeated, was now more venomous than ever, and they wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

So, he had to send supplies to the front lines no matter what.

He gathered as many remaining troops as possible, leaving only a minimal force behind, and immediately moved towards the 1st supply route and the coastal route.

There was a fortress built with the Empire’s resources, and a high-level priestly squad was stationed there.

It was a very important stronghold, and an elite priestly squad had been deployed, capable of operating even on the front lines.

Similarly, high-level holy knights were stationed there to protect them.

So, Rinin believed that he could hold out there and immediately moved towards that direction.

His judgment had a clear basis, and originally, it should have been correct.

However, the opponent was not favorable.

When Rinin hastily arrived at the fortress, what he saw was not a fortress filled with divine power.

Instead, he was greeted by a fortress emitting a strange, eerie magic, with a dark, ash-colored aura.

***

“It’s been occupied.”

Kayla said, looking down from the top of the fortress.

“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s clear they invested a lot in this fortress, and it was taken in an instant. It’s impossible not to be occupied.”