I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 35 Necromancer (2)

『In this underground, I can’t tell how much time has passed. Is your research progressing? Sharl, my lovely disciple…』

Ferdinand rambled on to himself.

To be precise, it seemed as if he was occasionally addressing someone or raising his voice.

The problem was that these actions were not attempts to get a response or feedback.

『Are you two trying to obstruct my disciple’s path!』

*Saaa.*

A black mist spread through the air like ink, ominously approaching.

Despite his apparently unstable mental state, the attack was highly threatening.

“Retreat as far back as possible!”

Arian swung her sword to fend off the mist, and I immediately leaped backward. My leg was forcibly enhanced by my cloak, but the sudden movement caused intense pain in my leg bone.

‘Grr… I need to fix this.’

I was on the verge of wrecking my body. However, following Arian’s advice and reacting quickly was the right choice.

*Thud! Thwack!*

Sharp, spear-like projections burst from the ground.

‘There were undead hiding underground. How did Arian sense them?’

As soon as I dodged the sharp obsidian-tipped spearheads, something also began to fall from the ceiling.

“Lower your head! 〈Lion’s Heavenly Strike〉!”

*Slash!*

Reacting swiftly, Arian leaped up and slashed a wide area in one swift motion. What she struck down was decaying, eye-adorned hands that had fallen from above.

There were so many that she couldn’t cut them all, and they began to swarm.

『〈Pale Gaze〉.』

The grotesquely warped eyes on the palms all glared at Arian simultaneously. Curses inducing paralysis, poison, or bleeding attacked from every direction.

*Boom!*

Arian countered by gripping a sacred object and using a miracle.

“〈Guardian’s’ Immaculate White Light〉!”

Beams of light appeared around Arian, enveloping her in a brilliant glow that repelled the curses. Reaching the level of using miracles without reciting prayers but with mere gestures was remarkable.

Seeing it in reality—not in a game—I could feel how extraordinary it was.

‘How would I ever fight against someone like this…’

With meticulous planning and thorough preparation, it wasn’t impossible to defeat an opponent stronger than myself.

But if they were this powerful, no matter how much preparation, it would be futile against overwhelming might.

‘… I might find the answer through this fight.’

Even though Ferdinand had lived for over 200 years, I was already confident in Arian’s victory. Even if things were even now, if I shared my necromancer counter strategies with Arian, the outcome would be clear.

I had to make the most of this opportunity.

“Arian! How about we retreat for now? Won’t the formidable Albeka arrive here soon?”

“It will still take a few more days!”

A few more days…

It would be good to get more specifics.

“Isn’t there more than one Luminaries in this city! That wretched necromancer has too many in numbers!”

“Luminaries always lack personnel! And because of the Outer God priest who murdered a noble-”

『A noble was killed? Hahaha! You did it!』

Suddenly, Ferdinand burst into laughter.

‘Why is that lunatic acting like that all of a sudden? What has she succeeded in?’

Despite the chaos, Ferdinand’s attacks did not stop, and all sorts of undead assaulted Arian. Although she managed to smash each one that approached, it seemed never-ending.

『Aah… Sharl! My beloved disciple! It was truly needless to worry about you!』

Even while babbling to himself, Ferdinand seemed out of his mind, speaking only to himself. But both Arian and I noticed a crucial detail simultaneously.

“… Arian.”

“Yes, Mr. Ahab! It seems he knows the one who committed the aristocratic murder!”

“Interrogation will be tough, but we might find something if we search his hideout.”

However, one puzzling aspect remained. Considering she referred to Sharl as his disciple, was Sharl also a necromancer? In that case, why was a mage’s disciple known as an Outer God priest?

‘A mage involved with heretics… Could it be?’

Ghouls swarmed around places with many corpses, so I thought the necromancer might have sought cooperation in exchange for bodies. But if it were more than that, and this necromancer was involved in something related to heretics…

“Arian! Bless all the corpses here! It doesn’t matter which miracle it is!”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Also, you are now part of Luminaries-”

“It’s urgent, so hurry!”

Wielding a massive axe, Arian cut down an undead, reluctantly gripping the symbol of the Church of Hayat and focusing intensely. Soon, a halo of light appeared. Like falling snow, the light descended from the sky, embedding itself into the corpses. 〈Snow of Peace〉. This miracle was realized by soldiers exhausted from the ten-year long civil war who longed for peace. The falling light calms the mind and helps recover from fatigue.

“I did as you instructed, but this miracle consumes a lot of mana! What exactly is your intention?”

“You’ll see!”

Of course, Arian wouldn’t know. Luminaries’s regulations and education never taught such things. I discovered this through a hint given by Dowol during a game.

『Sharl… I’ll bring the powerful Luminaries for you!』

Ferdinand laughed grotesquely while pulling something out. It was exactly as I had expected.

‘As I thought… the Necronomicon!’

The magic written in that grimoire mimicked the miracles of heretics as closely as possible. Therefore, it was more powerful and dangerous than general magic, but at the same time…

『Khh… 〈The Legion of Malevolent Plague〉!』

“….”

『What…? Why is there no response!』

… It also inherited the miracle’s trait of having a critical weakness. Miracles were strong but conditional. For instance, a miracle that allowed communication with horses wouldn’t work on deer or mules.

“Mr. Ahab. What’s going on here?”

Arian came close to me and asked. I was surprised she could even talk so quietly.

“I’ve heard a lot over a long life. Those books and the kind of magic studied by people like him.”

The original 〈The Legion of Malevolent Plague〉 miracle raised the dead who weren’t blessed anymore. Normally, blessings weren’t conferred individually on the dead…

“A mercenary who fought surrounded by a miracle once died, and an Outer God priest tried to utilize his corpse. But it failed because of the faint, lingering blessing on the body.”

This story was true, but it happened in the game ≪Orders≫. Since making baseless claims could end everything if caught, I chose my words carefully.

“Then, is what that necromancer is using a miracle, not magic?”

“It’s a type of magic that mimics miracles, including all their weaknesses.”

The more it was observed, the more it exhibited characteristics of miracles rather than ordinary magic. Although there was no initiation ritual, there existed a ‘mandatory magic’ that must precede it.

『… You’ve used an odd method. But even so, you cannot hinder the growth of my disciple!』

As the undead-related magic inscribed in the Necronomicon became ineffective, Ferdinand resorted to using other spells for his attack.

『Die quietly! 〈Curse Wave〉!』

A dark wave of curse surged forward. The stench of decay and the overwhelmingly intense malice permeated the air. Arian conjured 〈Wall of Radiance〉 in front of me. A colossal wall of light appeared, and the wave of curses dissipated without breaching the barrier.

‘He isn’t using any other magic from the Necronomicon. Did he perhaps only decipher a single spell?’

I calmly analyzed the situation. As the presence of Arian provided me with some leeway, I was able to make a more composed judgment.

‘In that case… there’s a high probability he skipped the mandatory magic process!’

One spell inscribed in the Necronomicon required a mandatory process before other spells could be used. If he had that spell, he would have learned other magic much more easily.

“Arian, very carefully, make it look like you’ve exhausted your strength by dispelling the miracles on the corpses.”

“The duration still remains, and dispelling blessings won’t restore my mana.”

“I’m aiming for something. The goal is to make that fool self-destruct due to his own ignorance.”

Arian seemed skeptical and hesitant to trust.

“I have hunted those related to heretical religions before. This strategy worked back then as well.”

“Understood.”

Arian, apparently uninterested in prolonging this evenly matched battle, decided to try the strategy I suggested. As Arian slowly took time to dispel the miracles, a response came immediately from the other side.

『So, even your mana has hit its limit! Today will be the first day I claim Luminaries’ spoils! Wait for me, Sharl!』

Ferdinand let out a mad laugh and attempted to cast the failed spell again.

『〈Legion of Malevolent Plague〉!』

This spell was different from typical necromancy that merely reanimated the dead. Unlike common undead, this spell was imbued with heretical energy, corrupting the surrounding mana. It also had a much more tenacious vitality, resisting magic and inflicting various diseases on those who approached.

Nonetheless…

『Why… Why is this happening…?』

Ferdinand found himself bewildered. The powerful undead created by his spell did not remain under his control. They absorbed his mana indiscriminately and rampaged instead of obeying commands like other undead.

“Hmph… as expected.”

“Can you explain what’s going on? What exactly is happening?”

Arian, who had just demolished an attacking undead in the chaos, asked.

“I don’t know the exact reason, but I’ve seen him fail at casting multiple spells from that book. The resurrected dead don’t follow orders and instead, they rush at their master to drain more mana.”

The truth was that he hadn’t used the Necronomicon’s 〈False Credentials〉 spell first. Without that spell, every magic written in the Necronomicon would become extremely unstable upon casting, making them uncontrollable.

『Get away from me! I need to get to my disciple! Sharl! Sharl!!』

“If the caster dies, the animated corpses will soon revert to being just lifeless bodies.”

Still, the undead continued attacking Ferdinand. His responses grew weaker as his mana dwindled.

“Once the necromancer is dealt with, we’ll take care of the rest. Considering I’m the one who acquired the information about the noble assassin, I’d say I’m in for a hefty reward.”

Ferdinand, unable to stop the mana-draining undead he summoned, merely kept calling out her disciple’s name until the very end.