Ch.323323. The Calamity Called Death

“…….”

Silence filled the conference room. The mysterious woman who had suddenly appeared was sitting on the table where the meeting had been taking place, looking out the window.

She seemed full of openings, as if she could be subdued immediately if someone rushed at her.

But having witnessed what just happened to Coltman, no one dared to move carelessly.

A soul manipulating magic on its own.

This was a sight no Black Mage had ever seen before, and the leaders’ minds were racing.

‘This is no ordinary necromancer.’

‘Can the dead retain their sense of self and use magic even in soul form?’

‘Most evil spirits are said to either lose their sense of self or become excessively aggressive. But this woman is nothing like that.’

As mentioned several times before, except for the Griffin Kingdom, other nations considered Black Magic worthy of academic research.

The mere existence of the Dark Spiritmaster already felt like a new horizon opening in the field of necromancy.

‘To think Coltman would be defeated like this. Hmm, I’d say he was completely outmatched in Black Magic.’

‘What a shame. Had he been born in my empire, I would have certainly valued him greatly.’

‘I researched necromancy thoroughly before coming here. That level is several times beyond what our duchy is capable of.’

They confirmed the difference in skill level.

And naturally let out sighs of regret. Why was such a man born in Griffin, where Black Mages were excessively persecuted?

If it had been anywhere but here.

His talent wouldn’t have bloomed in this twisted way but would have grown into a massive tree encompassing the entire continent.

Of course, King Orpheus might feel somewhat wronged. But he was currently the most composed person in this place.

‘The Dark Spiritmaster, was it?’

Orpheus knew about the Dark Spiritmaster. The soul of the Black Mage who accompanied Deus Verdi, another mentor who had taught Owen Baltani many things.

He had heard that she was kind and gentle, unlike this cold atmosphere, so he wondered if he had misunderstood.

Wink.

The Dark Spiritmaster slightly turned her head and winked at Orpheus without anyone noticing.

Seeing that, even Orpheus barely managed to hold back a laugh that almost escaped.

These Black Mages seemed to have a talent for acting as well.

[…….]

The Dark Spiritmaster turned her gaze back to the window. Deus was now heading outside the palace.

Numerous soldiers were rushing to stop him.

This delay was sufficient.

Outside, it was already like a ghost house, with many dead swirling in all directions.

[They say people change when faced with death, don’t they?]

Her sudden monologue carried a leisurely flow, like reciting poetry.

[I think he wanted to make them feel that. It’s a good opportunity—experiencing death while still alive is a rare experience.]

What did she mean?

The leaders couldn’t properly understand what she was saying.

They wondered if they should consider it the ramblings of the dead, but then.

The Dark Spiritmaster slowly stepped out through the window.

That was it.

The Black Mage who had been holding the leaders hostage and controlling the space had too easily released her grip.

For a moment, everyone remained still, suspecting a trap, but King Orpheus was the first to rise from his seat.

“Let’s go down and see. It seems Deus Verdi is ready to show us what kind of man he is.”

“…What kind of man?”

“How interesting.”

The leaders and their guards followed behind Orpheus.

When Gloria, the captain of the royal knights guarding the entrance, opened the door and stepped outside.

A hot and unpleasant warmth spread inside through the door.

They frowned as they entered the corridor, where a dark path stretched out without any light.

[Kihihihihi!]

[They’re out! They’re out! They’re out!]

[Heavy-assed idiots!]

Ghosts emerged and disappeared from the walls, floor, and ceiling, mocking or intimidating them.

It meant that the entire Griffin palace had already been taken over by ghosts.

The leaders could only move forward with tension, witnessing Deus Verdi’s skill that had created such a situation in just a few minutes.

* * *

“Haa! Haa!”

“…Urgh!”

“Block the entrance! Block it!”

Zelkin, a Black Mage from the Kingdom of Zerman, leaned on his staff.

His body staggered as if he might faint at any moment, and his vision blurred.

As he was about to collapse with a retch, his fellow Black Mage, Hela, caught him.

“Pull yourself together! What happens if we collapse too?”

“Co-Coltman… Master Coltman…”

“He’ll come! He’ll be here soon, so hang in there!”

The Black Mages who came from the Kingdom of Zerman were all Coltman’s disciples.

They were busy dealing with the souls scattered everywhere in chaos.

Though the souls weren’t harming or injuring humans, their mere presence was emitting strange waves.

These affected people’s minds. Headaches, dizziness, mana instability, fatigue, and more.

The ghosts were bringing the living to their knees just by floating around and releasing their screams and laughter.

And because of this, they felt helpless.

They were being pushed back simply by their presence.

Even the iron-clad soldiers from the Duchy of Valestan, who had led their civil war to victory, collapsed without even swinging their prized spears once.

The warriors from the Han Empire were forcibly closing their eyes and sitting cross-legged, trying to unify their minds, but they were merely enduring.

They couldn’t do anything beyond that.

At least the Anti-Magic Thesis, known as Magic Judges from the Griffin Kingdom, were able to stand and endure by blocking magic through their robes with layers of protective spells.

“Huff.”

They didn’t even glance at the collapsing soldiers from other countries.

They just stood at the entrance, backs straight, waiting for someone.

“Is everyone alright!”

At that moment, a man rushed to the Black Mages of the Kingdom of Zerman.

It was the 3rd Prince Serhul Zerman, with his taciturn mouth and handsome appearance.

The reason the 3rd Prince came instead of the 1st and 2nd Princes was because of Princess Elenoa.

Sadly, Serhul Zerman still harbored feelings for Princess Elenoa.

It also helped that he possessed the most outstanding martial prowess among the princes.

He had honed his skills as the sword of the Kingdom of Zerman, not getting involved in the rebellion of the 1st and 2nd Princes.

“P-Prince! Are you alright?”

“It’s dangerous here!”

Zelkin and Hela shouted simultaneously to the prince, but he slightly extended the necklace around his neck. It was an artifact that blocked mental magic.

“After the last incident, I always wear this around my neck.”

In the past, all six princes of the Kingdom of Zerman had been manipulated by Learic, the Great Demon of Deception.

Serhul didn’t just stop at resolving the incident; he had equipped himself with a necklace that blocked mental magic to prevent such a thing from happening again.

However, spending time like this wasn’t improving the situation.

The ghosts kept increasing from somewhere, and even those who had been enduring eventually collapsed one by one.

Then.

Thud.

The long-echoing footstep carried an unparalleled heaviness.

Like ripples spreading across a lake.

His footsteps were spreading toward the edge of the earth.

Thud.

The souls that had been screaming until just now closed their mouths the moment they heard his step.

Even with that simple silence, a chilling atmosphere spread heavily on the ground.

The cold made noses tingle.

A presence that froze even the screams and suffering people had been pouring out until just now.

Thud.

Deus Verdi was walking toward the outside of the palace.

“What is this.”

“The souls that were noisy until just now…”

The souls that had been screaming and spreading waves in all directions were now following behind Deus Verdi.

It gave the impression that the souls had cleared the path for him to walk.

“Kugh.”

3rd Prince Serhul swallowed hard and placed his hand on the sword at his waist, but he didn’t have the courage to draw it.

If he drew it now.

He knew well that the hateful glares of the dead would pour down on him, making his hands tremble.

It was frightening.

“Ah.”

His comrade Zelkin had already fainted and collapsed on the floor, but Hela’s gaze was fixed on Deus.

As a fellow Black Mage.

And also as a necromancer.

She couldn’t help but recognize his overwhelming greatness.

As someone walking the path of a necromancer, to describe him.

The pinnacle.

Hela was convinced, without any exaggeration, that there could be nothing beyond him as a necromancer.

“He has… reached the principle.”

That’s why Hela could only bow her head. She felt that if she defied him here, she would truly vanish like dust.

As the calamity named death passed by.

The living could only bow their heads, hoping it wouldn’t be them.

Bang!

At that moment, a large man blocked the coldness that was spreading, reversing the atmosphere.

Magic Judge Captain Tyrn Ol Velokus.

Behind him, Magic Judges in golden robes lined up to form a barrier, as he struck the floor with the end of his staff that resembled a spear.

“Deus Verdi.”

There was no dialogue between the two.

Tyrn simply muttered his name as if reciting it and stepped forward.

And Deus Verdi, with the same stride and the same speed as when he first appeared.

Simply walked forward.

Tyrn suddenly recalled the time when he tried to execute Deus in the past.

He was glad to be able to fight again, but the current situation was not to his liking.

Nevertheless.

As the Magic Judge Captain, Tyrn swung his staff toward Deus to perform his duty.

Kwaaang!

In an instant, he found himself collapsed on the floor.

Supreme magic resistance.

The grim reaper of Black Mages.

The Magic Judges had already lost consciousness, sprawled on the floor.

And Deus Verdi still.

With the same stride.

At the same speed.

Walked toward the outside.

In the end, no one here.

From the moment Deus Verdi escaped, not for a single moment could anyone stop his steps or make him hurry.

The dead followed their saint in silence.

And the living could only bow their heads, waiting for death to pass by.