-962- [ Necromancy ]

"Hmm!"

At the entrance of the temple ruins leading to the underground tomb, the space trembled, and Rozen and Gajou emerged from it.

"What's this...!?"

As soon as he appeared, Gajou saw the situation at the camp ahead, and his eyes widened slightly.

The previously heavily guarded camp was now engulfed in flames.

Vehicles and mining machinery were all destroyed.

Dormitories and tents unrelated to the ruins were burnt to the ground.

Armored vehicles moved sporadically, exploding one after another, causing a series of roars.

And the guards, already lying in pools of blood, had completely lost their lives.

"They've all been taken out...?"

Gajou exclaimed in shock.

Rozen's gaze swept across the scene, then confirmed Gajou's statement.

"They've all been taken out. Not a single one is alive."

Rozen was sure of this.

Rozen, with his Spirit Vision, could see the spiritual energy, and he confirmed that the guards lying in pools of blood were already dead.

Because their spiritual energy had long dissipated.

"Where are the enemies? Why haven't we seen a single one?"

Gajou, seemingly calm again as he opened the safety device on a submachine gun he somehow had, calmly flipped over the body of a nearby guard with his foot, speaking as if nothing had happened.

"Also, it seems like the camp's barrier hasn't been broken. What's going on?"

This was Gajou's perplexity.

Rozen naturally understood.

You see, the barrier set up around the camp was not formed by ordinary magic or spells but was one of Liana's three Beast Vassals, obedient to her commands.

As an old-generation vampire noble, Liana possessed three Beast Vassals.

Among them, two were giant wolves she frequently used for combat, showcasing formidable strength that had been witnessed in the ruins, easily surpassing even the Phantasmal Species like the Wyverns.

The third Beast Vassal had the ability to transform into a powerful barrier, securely protecting Liana.

The barrier enveloping the camp was precisely created by Liana's last Beast Vassal's transformation.

Since that was the case, breaking the barrier would require the power of an old-generation pure-blood vampire who had lived for centuries.

Faced with such an attack, Liana, as the host of the Beast Vassal, couldn't have failed to notice in advance.

So, it was very likely that the barrier had not been broken.

But, if the barrier wasn't broken, how did the enemies appear?

Where are they now?

That's what Gajou wanted to know.

Rozen answered his question.

"You're talking about enemies?" Rozen smirked at Gajou. "Aren't they right beneath your feet?"

Hearing this, Gajou was first stunned, then his pupils constricted.

The next moment, Gajou, without any hesitation, turned around and aimed the submachine gun in his hand at the body of a guard beneath his feet.

"Gah!"

At the same time, the lifeless body unexpectedly leaped up, emitting a low growl, and rushed towards Gajou with a ferocious face.

"Boom!"

Gajou pulled the trigger.

"Pfft!"

Bullets pierced through the head of the body turned enemy, causing it to fall down.

If it weren't for Rozen's reminder, Gajou would have undoubtedly suffered a significant setback.

"Gah..."

"Gah..."

Next, the bodies of guards in the camp suddenly stirred, like zombies, getting up one by one, swaying as they approached.

Not only that, but the ground in the camp also cracked continuously, and one body after another crawled out.

Seeing this, Gajou understood everything.

"It's Necromancy?"

—Necromancy.

As the name suggests, it's magic that allows manipulation of the dead.

Mages who are proficient in this type of magic can turn dead bodies into their minions, using them to attack enemies by manipulating the deceased. It is a very unpopular form of magic.

Since this magic is not well-received, very few people actually learn it.

However, there happens to be a leader of an organization who excels in using this magic.

"Black Death Emperor Front..."

Indeed.

The leader of the Black Death Emperor Front, known as the Black Death Emperor, was renowned for using Necromancy.

However, the Black Death Emperor has been killed, and the entire Black Death Emperor Front is now reduced to remnants.

Unfortunately, among these remnants is the trusted aide of the Black Death Emperor.

He is the only Beast Man in the entire Black Death Emperor Front who is proficient in Necromancy, apart from the Black Death Emperor.

This Beast Man was mentioned in the intelligence provided by Natsuki, and he is currently within this country.

Now, the opponent has finally appeared.

"So that's it. They planted corpses here before setting up the barrier, waiting for the opportunity until the unsealing of No. 12 to launch the attack from within the barrier, without even needing to break it."

Gajou saw through this.

A sarcastic voice suddenly echoed from the surrounding corpses.

"Not bad, you really live up to your name, Akatsuki Gajou, the 'Returnee from the Netherworld', you saw through it immediately."

This voice came from the corpses gradually surrounding them.

Using Necromancy to manipulate the corpses in secret, the Beast Man controlling them spoke through the mouths of the dead.

In that voice, there was both disdain for humans and a sense of superiority.

"To bring a child to the battlefield, humans are as foolish as ever. Unlocking the seal of the ruins is already a decent achievement."

The Necromancer ridiculed through the corpse's mouth.

"Now, let the Black Death Emperor Front take over this ruin and make good use of what's inside. Let the 'Forgotten Warlord' witness it."

As they spoke, under the control of the opponent, the dead ones successively raised firearms in their hands, aiming at Rozen and Gajou.

"... Minamiya! We need to find cover!"

Gajou immediately reacted, reaching out to pull Rozen and roll aside, avoiding the numerous muzzles.

However, Gajou's hand grabbed nothing, and he didn't catch Rozen at all.

Rozen had long since disappeared from the original spot.

"To mock others while hiding in a place like this, at least use some invisibility magic or a jujutsu to conceal your presence."

Rozen looked at the rock where the cunning man was hiding, laughing nonchalantly.

"Playing hide-and-seek on the battlefield. No wonder the people of the Black Death Emperor Front can't face the world. Any noble from the Warlord Dominion could easily disintegrate it. They even want to kill a Primogenitor, dominate the Warlord Dominion, advocate for Beast Men supremacy... I suggest you reconsider, so you won't be laughing stock."

Rozen, facing the angry gaze of the cunning man, laughed like that.

"You agree, don't you? Golan Hazaroff."