A little while ago, before the Dullahan appeared.
Mocking life and death,
Scoffing at yin and yang,
Ridiculing light and darkness,
A being that went against reason.
Necromancy.
Ivan scratched his forearm with his fingernails, tearing it apart.
Blood splattered everywhere, and the stench vibrated throughout the world.
Ghouls born from the fresh blood grew up in succession and let out their first cries.
โKeeeeeeeeeeeek!
โKweeeeeeeee
The filthy ghouls, their slime not yet dry, rushed towards Siwoo first.
One was killed, and two were born.
Two were killed, and three were born.
The speed at which they were born could not keep up with the speed at which they were killed.
“Where are you going~~~~~.”
Ivan’s eyeballs, which were completely black, glared at Siwoo.
Just looking at him made it hard to breathe.
Ominous magic power tore through the darkness like a whip.
Siwoo avoided it leisurely, but his mind raced desperately.
At that moment, a huge magical power surged from behind.
[๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ-๐จ’-๐ญ๐ก๐-๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฉ : ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ]
A tiger made of flames charged at the ghouls, waving its limbs in all directions.
Amidst the screams of the blackening ghouls, Red Ear’s voice was distinctly heard.
“Master! What the hell is this? I’ve never seen such an evil technique in my entire life!”
“Wellใ ก I’ve never seen it among the ‘humans’ I know.”
“What are we going to do? Even if we use all the magic items, it won’t end unless we kill that guy.”
Of course, if he were an ordinary necromancer, his magic power would have run out and the battle would have been over.
But Ivan was an exception.
Even among the countless wicked people Red Ear had seen in the afterlife, none had committed such atrocities.
‘๐๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐๐จ๐ฃ’๐ฉ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐. ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฉ’๐จ ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ง ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง, ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ฉ.’
Unlike Red Ear’s question, Siwoo had a different thought.
“Kekekekekeke. It looks like my babies are suffering. . . . I need a little son of a b*tch to help me. . . .”
As if it were a soliloquy, or not.
Ivan, his blood dripping, approached Gunner’s corpse.
“I’ll make you especially strong~~~~~.”
He put his hand on the heart of Gunner, whose head had been blown off.
A disgusting, bubbling sound.
[๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฒ : ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฅ]
Fiery and thick darkness formed a ritual formula with hundreds of curves and distorted shapes.
The peculiar magic circle took root in its darkness from Gunner’s heart to the tip of his limbs.
Keueueueueใ ก
A strange voice tore through the air as if inhaling in reverse.
Gunner’s dead body rose up.
It was the headless knight, Dullahan.
“Kekekeke. You’re even better now than you were before. . . . What are you doing? Go slaughter those little bastards.”
Chaotic and rough magic power followed its master’s orders with staggering steps.
After a while, Ivan raised the other four corpses and ordered them to follow Gunner.
“T-This. . . what the. . . ! Master! This will never end!”
Red Ear shouted urgently, striking down the encroaching ghouls.
It was tiring enough to get rid of the ghouls that were pouring in, but if they revived the corpses like that, it would never end.
If only they were weak.
Red Ear, who was sensitive to magic power, could feel how strong the newly revived corpses were with his skin.
A world of difference from their skills when they were alive.
In particular, Gunner’s body was so strong that even Red Ear couldn’t guarantee that he could defeat it.
‘๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐จ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐จ, ๐ค๐ง ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ, ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ. ๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก.’
Red Ear felt his strength draining away.
It was because he couldn’t see the end of this fight.
He could have killed a large number of ghouls with a single magic item.
However, it took a considerable amount of time to replenish that much magical power.
‘๐๐ค๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐.’
If he had basic physical strength, he could rely on his physical abilities rather than his skills, so someone like Volk would be more useful in a situation like this.
“Red Ear.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Go after those undead.”
“Yes?!”
“Go help the people at the mansion. They must be tired over there, so they’ll need support.”
“B-But Master. . . .”
Siwoo chuckled at Red Ear’s hesitation.
“Inspiration.”
“Yes.”
“Iโm a mad dog.”
Were those short answers clearer than a hundred explanations?
Red Ear nodded and ran straight to the mansion.
“One is gone. . . . But it’s okay. You look tastier. . . .”
Ivan looked at Red Ear, who was getting farther away, and his eyes glowed faintly.
“I’m sorry, but I like eating more than being eaten.”
“Kekekekeke. I’ll chew your insides up and down~~~~.”
Ivan burst into laughter, tearing his mouth open to his ears, and spewed out magic power.
A rough murderous aura that seemed to cut through everything in its path.
The trees split apart, and the grass melted away.
Taak-!
That pitch-black madness shot towards Siwoo like a poison arrow.
“Kekekekekekekekeke!”
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!
A fist surrounded by magic power fell down like a ballista.
Siwoo stacked his magical power layer by layer to withstand the blow, then immediately stabbed him with his bastard sword.
His reaction speed was so phenomenal that even an A-Rank hunter would have had his neck pierced.
However.
“Kekekeke. This is fun~~~.”
Ivan twisted his body to avoid the attack.
His body spun like a top, and he swung his arm, slashing with his fingernails.
Kwaddeudeudeuk!
The ground cracked and trees collapsed hideously as they were torn apart.
Dense magic energy scratched all around, leaving nothing intact.
Siwoo, too, had long cuts on his stomach and shoulder as if they had been cut with a razor blade from that attack.
Blood spurted out, but Siwoo continued to cast spells as if he didnโt care.
His mana, which had been unraveled like thread, created a new blue magic circle:
[๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐] x 20
The twenty ice lumps surrounding Ivan exuded a chill as if they would even freeze the breath.
Zzzzzzt. . .!!
In an instant, the compressed ice exploded powerfully towards its target.
Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwagwa!!
Thousands of ice shards, like sharp blades, flew without mercy, tearing apart even the ghouls that were nearby.
A bloody smell vibrated everywhere.
In the midst of such a horrific sight,
Ivan stood alone, unyielding.
He was soaked in blood.
Siwoo saw how he had survived the moment the [๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐] exploded.
Just before the ice exploded.
Ivan tore his face.
Then a huge tongue came out of it and wrapped around Ivanโs body.
The bubbling blood was probably from the tongue and the surrounding ghouls.
Or it could have come from his torn face.
โHehehe. . . That was a fun attack. You donโt have any more mana, do you, you son of a b*tch?โ
โYou know a lot about mana.โ
Ivan laughed out loud at Siwooโs question.
โWell, I have a good tongue. I want to fill my mouth with your chewy entrails. Iโm going to rip your stomach open. Hohohohohohahahahahat!!!โ
His black eyes flickered again and glared at Siwoo as if they would stab him.
It was not a simple glare.
The malice and desire in it were things that could not be counted in a lifetime.
Ivan approached with his eyes full of madness.
What stopped him was a single question from Siwoo.
โDo the โdemon raceโ eat humans these days?โ