Ch.197Chapter 197. IF – If Mallack Had Not Responded (2)

Chapter 197. IF – If Malak Didn’t Respond (2)

“Priest who turned your back on Loa to learn necromancy, you’ve come to the right place. I am Charon, the adversary of gods and the greatest necromancer on earth.”

Charon’s eyes, now possessing NotACatfish’s body, emitted an eerie red glow. His madness was briefly visible.

“So, the Book of the Dead.”

Charon snorted when he saw the Book of the Dead in Paya’s hands.

“There’s much not written in the Book of the Dead. That book only contains basics discovered through crude methods by low-level necromancers who fled after being cast out by their tribes. Only I, Charon, know the true essence of necromancy.”

Charon added that even if one mastered the entire Book of the Dead, they would only be able to command low-level zombies.

“Priest Paya. Will you join me in defeating the cruel gods and saving the earth? Not just your tribe, but everyone.”

Charon proposed cooperation, offering to pass on the essence of his necromancy skills to Paya. His shamelessness was boundless, considering he had just tried to steal her body moments ago.

“…”

But Paya had no other choice. She had lost too much to get here to simply turn back.

“Did you take NotACatfish’s body using necromancy too?”

“No. This is different from necromancy. It’s a spell that subjugates the soul and steals the body. I can teach you if you want. Of course, if you cooperate.”

“…Can’t you return NotACatfish?”

After brief consideration, Charon shook his head.

“Impossible. The souls of those subdued by this spell fall into deep unconsciousness, making it difficult to bring them back.”

“…”

Trembling at this terrible answer, Paya nodded.

Deep inside, helplessness and anger welled up, but ultimately she had no choice but to cooperate with Charon.

Thus, Paya and Charon left the necromancer’s tomb.

“Sob…!”

Outside the tomb, Una was wailing over Kanto’s lifeless body.

Only then did Paya truly realize that there was no one left in this world who cared for her.

Her parents, NotACatfish, and brother Kanto were all gone. Only the evil spirit called Charon, emanating a sinister aura, remained by her side.

Swallowing her tears once more, Paya approached Una and the warriors.

“A powerful warrior’s body.”

NotACatfish flapped his wings while looking down at Kanto.

“N-NotACatfish is talking?”

“What is this…”

Paya briefly explained the situation to the confused warriors.

“Charon? You’re saying that apostate has taken over NotACatfish’s body?”

“Hmph.”

The warriors struggled to accept this unexpected situation, but there was a more critical issue.

“Priest Paya. Your brother’s soul has already left this world. His body is merely an empty shell. I’ll demonstrate by turning him into a zombie.”

Charon’s approach was to turn any corpse, friend or foe, into a zombie under his control. His way of thinking, so different from theirs, was the biggest problem.

“With our current forces, traveling to other regions would be suicide. What if we encounter demons, worshippers, or hostile civilized people? We might be defeated before we can even use necromancy. Priest Paya, this isn’t a choice but a necessity.”

Everyone’s faces soured as Charon continued his explanation.

“Didn’t you come all this way for your tribe’s safety? Didn’t you turn your back on Loa to defeat your enemies? There’s no need to overthink this. This is just one step toward creating an undying legion. Once you learn necromancy and can command zombies, I’ll hand over control to you.”

What ordinary people would consider ‘desecration of the dead’ was simply his way of life.

“That’s absurd!”

Una, who had harbored feelings for Kanto and served as his left arm for a long time, was understandably furious.

The other warriors also grumbled in opposition, but Paya only asked Charon:

“Is it true that Kanto’s… my brother’s soul has left his body?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Paya’s hesitation wasn’t just about ‘surviving the journey back.’ She didn’t want to leave her brother’s body in this distant land; she wanted him by her side, even as a corpse.

It was like a child’s stubbornness, unable to let go of a deceased family member.

“…Please do it.”

Once again, she had no choice but to accept. Telling herself it was unavoidable, that it wasn’t a choice but a necessity, as Charon had said.

“P-Priest! Please reconsider. This is an insult to Chief Kanto!”

“…”

Una desperately protested, but couldn’t change Paya’s mind.

“Grrrr…!”

Eventually, Kanto rose as a zombie, his eyes glowing with an eerie red light. It was her brother, but not her brother.

But there was no time for complaints. She was the priest of the Blue Moss tribe. She needed to return to Symphonia quickly for her people.

“Good. A fine body as expected. Now, let’s depart. Let’s lead our undying army down to Symphonia.”

Charon flapped his wings and took the lead. Zombie Kanto followed, staggering behind.

***

Wooaargh-!

The gorilla demon who had ruled Symphonia for years screamed. The orangutan demon and chimpanzee demon each held one of his arms.

Now zombies, they were no longer the gorilla demon’s loyal followers. Not just these two—all the lesser demons under the gorilla demon’s command had become zombies.

He had sent his army to kill the barbarians he’d spotted through his crude magical creation, the ‘Demon’s Eye,’ but they all returned as zombies.

Grrrk…!

In a final desperate attempt, the gorilla demon tried to use coordinate transmission, but even that failed.

“It’s useless, distorted spirit. With sufficient mana, I can easily break your primitive spells.”

A giant pigeon fluttering nearby was using strange techniques to interfere with the coordinate transmission.

Of course, the pigeon was Charon. He had considered transferring to the body of a captured worshipper or demon, but chose to remain in NotACatfish’s body as it was superior to those of spiritual beings.

Thunk!

Finally, zombie Kanto’s axe plunged into the demon’s chest.

It was an attack made possible because becoming a zombie had removed his physical limitations—overwhelming strength enough to pierce the gorilla demon’s steel-like skin.

“Priest Paya. Symphonia is now yours. Make this castle your base and save the earth!”

Charon said with squeaks and chirps. When NotACatfish did it, it was cute, but when Charon did it, it was just horrifying.

“…”

Paya watched the dying gorilla demon.

Three months. That’s how long it took to travel from Dubenheim to Symphonia, seclude herself in a tent to learn necromancy, and capture the gorilla demon.

“Chief Una. Thank you for your hard work.”

Paya briefly thanked Una, who was watching the zombie army with fearful eyes alongside the warriors.

“…Lady Paya.”

Una, who had been the third strongest after Kanto and Denzo and highly respected among the warriors, had become the chief. She now led all the Blue Moss tribe’s warriors, but it meant little.

The zombies controlled by Paya and Charon fought the battles. Una and the warriors merely stood back, ostensibly to protect Paya.

Una looked at Paya with concerned eyes. Paya had grown even paler since learning necromancy.

That child who used to laugh so well and was full of emotion had become as cold as a corpse. Perhaps ‘ruthless’ would be a more accurate description. Either way, it was impossible not to worry.

Una had visited her alone several times, urging her to abandon necromancy, but Paya refused. She would only ask what would become of her brother who had sacrificed his life to reach the necromancer’s tomb.

Paya looked up at the sky. The Demon’s Eye creatures—now Zombie’s Eye—that she had sent out for reconnaissance were returning.

“Yes. What did you see?”

She shared their minds to read their memories. Being artificial lifeforms without souls that only followed orders, they were easy to mentally connect with.

The zombie’s vision showed a young female paladin peeking out from a cave, trembling as she watched them.

She looked very young, perhaps only a year or two older than Paya.

Paya didn’t know, but the paladin’s name was Sasaki Noa, a high school girl from Japan.

“…A paladin.”

The hateful beings who took her brother’s life. There was no reason not to kill her.

“I’ve found a new body. Let’s go.”

“A paladin? Good. I’ve been curious about their nature. Now it’s time to find out.”

Charon, who had also seen Noa through the zombie’s vision, took flight with Paya on his back.

Due to Charon’s sinister magic, NotACatfish’s body had grown so large that it could now carry two adult men while flying.

The two necromancers moved, spreading sinister energy.

Urrrgh…!

The zombified gorilla demon followed behind them.