Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

A short scream echoed.

Whoosh!

Blue flames shot up. The location was just to the right of where Gavin stood. The fire itself was intensely fierce, yet no heat could be felt. It almost seemed like an illusion or hallucination. However, the aftermath was anything but illusory.

Everyone was frozen.

The blue flames blazed for only about three seconds. That wasn't enough time to kill someone, even if they were submerged in magma. Yet, in those three seconds, the blue flames turned every single person in the area into ashes.

What was left? About forty mounds of gray powder that had once been human.

"…Shit."

Gavin's legs trembled as he cursed under his breath. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened. The scene was so shocking that his mind refused to process it. But the situation didn't give him time to catch his breath.

Sizzle, crackle.

One of the ash piles began to stir, forming a shape. Soon, it solidified into a white-skinned demon with horns.

"Kieeek!"

"Damn it!"

As the demonic figure lunged at him, Gavin snapped back to reality, grabbing his weapon, a heavy iron mace, and swung it at the creature.

Clang!

The impact made the demon stagger back, but it wasn't enough to take it down.

"…A Bone Devil?"

It took a moment for Gavin to recognize the creatures. They were Bone Devils—low-ranking demons supposedly crafted from the bones of sinners. They weren't known for their attack power, but their defense was annoyingly high.

'They're usually around level 10 to 20…'

His thoughts froze as the realization hit him. The people who had just been burned to death were likely in that level range. Gavin's eyes darted to the remaining piles of ashes, which also began to stir. It was clear now—each death was summoning another Bone Devil.

"This is insane!"

Panic surged through him. What kind of overpowered skill was this? Stay tuned with empire

Just as Gavin was about to shout for help, he heard others behind him:

"Run! Everyone, run!"

"Damn it, I knew this was a bad idea!"

"I shouldn't have trusted him…!"

The terrified pioneers, including some of Gavin's own subordinates, had already turned their backs and fled.

Gavin gritted his teeth at the betrayal, but he too began to run.

"You cowards! You're just going to leave me here!?"

"Shut up! Listening to you is why we're in this mess!"

"If we make it out of this, you're dead, Gavin!"

The murderous intent in their voices made Gavin shudder. He had an uneasy feeling that even if he survived and made it back, things wouldn't end well for him.

'Maybe I should just escape quietly…?'

As the thought crossed his mind, he felt a pulse of energy from above.

"Double Enhance."

Whooom.

"Shit! Don't do it!"

Someone screamed, their voice filled with desperation.

But the plea fell on deaf ears.

"Eldritch Flame."

Whoosh!

Once again, a storm of blue flames erupted from the ground. This time, about thirty pioneers were caught in its path. While the number was smaller than before, the sheer terror of the flames was enough to paralyze anyone who saw them.

And that brief hesitation was fatal.

"Kieeek!"

Thud.

The Bone Devils, who had been lurking behind, seized the moment, pouncing on the stragglers.

"No, no! Get away from me!"

Crunch. Crack. Snap.

Like a scene out of a zombie movie, the demons tore into the pioneers, leaving them as shredded, bloody messes. Once the creatures confirmed their prey was dead, they immediately searched for their next target.

"Hngh! Ghhk!"

Some pioneers sobbed openly, their minds overtaken by fear. Others collapsed, unable to stand. A few still had enough sense to try to escape, but Justin, standing atop the fortress wall, wasn't about to let that happen.

"Double Enhance."

Whooom.

"Please! Spare me! I surrender!"

"I surrender! Damn it!"

Their screams echoed, but Justin remained cold and unmoved as he cast his next spell.

"Cursed Lightning."

Crash!

The purple lightning streaked across the field, striking down the fleeing pioneers. Their bodies convulsed as they hit the ground, eyes rolling back.

"...."

"...."

No one tried to run anymore. Even as the Bone Devils approached, they stared blankly up at the wall, their eyes filled with desperate hope.

'Please, let it be over…'

If Justin didn't attack again, they might survive. Maybe he was out of magic? Maybe it was finally over?

But Justin crushed those hopes without mercy.

"Double Enhance."

Whooom.

"...!"

And the screaming began again.

'...I didn't expect I could wipe them all out on my own,' Justin thought, glancing down with a slightly perplexed expression.

The 150 pioneers who had once stood below him were now nothing more than piles of ash and corpses. The fortress gates had never opened—not even once. Justin had simply stood atop the walls, casting spells at will. And that alone had been enough to kill every single one of them.

"...."

"...."

The other pioneers around him stared at Justin with a mix of awe and fear. Their gazes reflected a realization: No wonder he was so confident—he had the power to back it up. Even his companions seemed a little shaken by what had just happened.

"Was the Apostle of Eternity really this strong?"

"This job is completely unbalanced. What the hell..."

Justin offered a wry smile to his speechless companions. To be honest, even he hadn't expected the fight to go this way, but explaining that now wouldn't make much sense to them.

'They were even more disorganized than I thought. Plus, my level probably spiked too much from the last wave.'

Eldritch Flame incinerates all enemies below level 15, but those with fire resistance gear can survive. And if the enemy is above level 15, they might endure it without resistance gear. But the problem was, Justin's level had soared to 39 after the previous wave, and fire-resistant equipment was incredibly rare. Even Justin, who had completed numerous quests, didn't own any.

'It was inevitable that anyone who wasn't a second-class pioneer would face instant death from the spell. And once they saw their comrades turning to ash, the panic set in.'

Even though his magic was lethal, what sealed their doom was the breakdown in morale. Some of the pioneers were so mentally broken that they didn't even try to defend themselves against the low-level Bone Devils, which could have been easily beaten in direct combat.

The few who had managed to keep their wits about them and tried to run were quickly paralyzed by his spells, leaving the devils to carry out a one-sided slaughter.

Shhhh...

As the summoned devils' time ran out, they crumbled back into ash. Justin looked down at the bodies, then turned to his team.

"Alright, call out one person from each of the new settlers. I want someone from each territory."

"Huh? Why do you need them all of a sudden?" one of the pioneers asked, confused.

Justin smirked. "Why do you think? We need to figure out where the bodies are from, don't we?"

After a brief commotion, the expedition began as planned. The only thing Justin lost was a few uses of his magic; otherwise, his combat strength was still at full capacity. Not to mention, with the 150 pioneers dead, the strength of each of their respective territories had been cut in half. In reality, the expedition just got easier.

'And I've got some good leverage to use for negotiations,' Justin thought, glancing at the pouches hanging from the waists of his pioneers. None of them seemed pleased to be carrying them, and the two settlers serving as guides looked pale, as if on the verge of collapse.

"Hey, are you guys okay? If you need to puke, go ahead," Justin offered.

"N-No, we're fine!"

"Really, we're okay!"

Justin eyed them suspiciously. "You sure? If you puke at a critical moment, it'll be a problem for me."

"We're really fine!" they both insisted, their heads shaking furiously in unison. It was obvious they were terrified of being killed if they admitted otherwise.

Justin sighed and clicked his tongue. "Geez, I'm not going to eat you alive. Let's keep moving."

Occasionally, groups of orcs and other monsters popped up, but they were easy to deal with.

"Crwaaa! Damn humans!"

"Take care of it, Derek, Ethan."

Thud!

"It's already done."

With two second-class pioneers in the party, monsters in this region were hardly a challenge. They dealt with the threats as if they were cleaning up garbage. Finally, they arrived at a certain point, and the two settlers called out.

"We're here! If we go a little further, you'll reach the territory where I lived."

"Yeah? And who's the leader there again?" Justin asked.

"Uh, it's... here…" The settler hesitated, pointing to the pouch tied around his waist, unable to speak the words aloud.

Justin gave a nod and took the pouch from him. The settler let out a long breath of relief, looking like he had just escaped death.

"Well done."

"Thank you! Thank you!"

"Alright, move back. We'll take it from here."

"Yes, sir!"

The two settlers hurriedly stepped back, though one of them looked enviously at the other, who was now free of the pouch.

Turning his attention back to the road ahead, Justin soon saw the city they had been talking about. He muttered under his breath at the sight of it.

"Looks pathetic."

Compared to the rudimentary medieval towns he'd encountered early on, this place was no better—possibly worse. At least those early medieval towns had buildings that looked like actual houses. This city's structures seemed to be made out of nothing more than mud.

"This is worse than the first medieval town they throw you into."

"The inside is a little better. Just a little," one settler explained, mentioning that this had once been a goblin city.

That explained everything. No wonder it looked so crude if it had once belonged to goblins.

"What do you want?!"

A voice shouted from the ramshackle gatehouse as someone spotted them. Judging by the weapon in his hand, he seemed to be a warrior-class pioneer. He already looked terrified, likely because of the difference in numbers.

"This is Gavin's city, the goblin one, right?" Justin asked casually.

"Screw you and your goblin city... Wait, you're—!" The warrior's eyes widened as he looked straight at Justin, clearly recognizing him.

"Good, if you remember me, then this'll go fast. Catch," Justin said, tossing the pouch toward the guard.

The guard caught it, startled by the weight. He stared at it, confused.

"What… what is this?"

"It's your boss. The guy who made that ridiculous offer in front of my fortress."

"…?" The guard blinked, not understanding for a moment. But as soon as realization hit, his face turned pale, and he let the pouch fall to the ground in horror.