Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 125: Episode

As Simon had learned in his Summoning class, the black magic used to raise corpses as zombies was divided into two main types: Raise a Zombie and Summon a Zombie.

Raise a Zombie was a spell for the heat of battle, creating instant, temporary minions that would last for a few hours. Summon a Zombie, on the other hand, was a more deliberate ritual used to create a semi-permanent undead intended for long-term service.

The subject of Professor Aaron’s evaluation was, of course, Summon a Zombie.

Simon had intended to handle everything himself, but his friends were already in position, ready to assist.

"Simon," Dick called out, pointing to a section of the magic circle. "The ‘Frenzy’ formula is reacting badly with the corpse. We have to replace the whole thing."

"Ah, right."

"The summoning magic is activating," Kamibarez added, her brow furrowed in concern. "It’s causing a violent reaction in the body’s actomyosin!"

"That’s probably because decay doesn’t occur in Deathland," Simon explained, a warmth spreading through his chest at their dedication. "We should be fine to proceed as is." He pressed on, channeling his focus into the intricate patterns. ’Concentrate. I have to leverage the unique properties of Deathland. I can eliminate all formulas related to maintenance and decay.’

He streamlined the complex equations, tailoring them to the environment before activating the circle.

The armored guard’s corpse began to twitch, its limbs jerking in a violent spasm.

"Everyone, back away!" Dick warned. "Aggression toward the living is at its peak right after a summoning!"

The four of them scrambled back, putting a safe distance between themselves and the undead.

Finally, the corpse rose, its movements slow and deliberate. To their relief, it showed no signs of aggression, simply standing there with its mouth agape in a silent, vacant stare.

"It... it’s a success, right?" Kamibarez whispered.

"Looks like it," Dick confirmed.

A collective sigh of relief passed between them. As the caster, Simon connected to the zombie’s consciousness, checking for any adverse reactions or side effects. Finding none, he announced, "I’m going to have it attack."

He sent a mental command, directing the zombie toward a nearby tree. The guard shambled forward, its armor dragging on the ground, and sank its teeth into the trunk. It clawed furiously at the bark, pushing against the tree with mindless determination.

"Hmm." Meirin bent at the waist, studying its movements. "The aggression is perfectly implemented, and its teeth and nails are coated in corpse poison. It’s a shame it limps from an old leg injury, but this is pretty good." Straightening up, she finally nodded in approval. "Yep. A zombie of this quality guarantees us an upper-mid rank or higher."

"You all did such a commendable job!" Kamibarez exclaimed, her voice bright with relief.

The hardest part was over. The heavy tension lifted, and they began to chat, deciding that Simon, as the caster, would store the zombie in his Subspace.

"Ugh—ah!" Meirin groaned, stretching her arms high above her head. "So now we just head back to camp through the sewer and have the professor check it, right?"

Dick blinked. "Oh, that’s surprising."

"What now?" she shot back.

"I figured you’d insist on digging up every grave until we found a better zombie."

"No, thanks." Meirin shook her head vigorously. "I’m not in the mood to go that far here. That story about Talhern left a bad taste in my mouth. Let’s just get back to camp."

"Okay!" The others nodded in agreement.

"However..." Simon’s face hardened as he scanned their surroundings. "Getting back won’t be so easy."

"Huh? Why?"

A cool breeze rustled the bushes, which began to stir with unnatural movement.

"Is something in there?" Kamibarez asked nervously.

Simon gave a silent, grim nod.

A moment later, corpses began to emerge from the foliage, their backs arched at impossible angles.

"Z-Zombies!" Dick stammered.

"There were more here?" Meirin cried.

The mansion’s windows shattered, and a torrent of undead poured out. Zombies that had plummeted from the fourth and fifth floors hit the ground with sickening thuds before lurching back to their feet.

"What the hell?!" Dick yelled. "Where did they all come from?!"

"Run!"

Without a second thought, they bolted in the opposite direction. Their search had led them deep behind the mansion, leaving them with a long sprint back to the sewer entrance.

’It’s already gotten this bad...’ Simon thought, his gaze fixed on the garden. The once-beautiful grounds were now teeming with zombies swarming from every direction. What was going on? There had been zombies in the mansion from the start. If they were going to attack, why wait? It felt as if they had been deliberately lured deeper, waiting for reinforcements to arrive.

Of course, zombies didn’t possess that level of intelligence. But the suspicion grew, coiling in his mind.

"This way!" Simon shouted.

The garden was overrun. He led the group toward the back of a warehouse next to the mansion, hoping for a clearer path. But this route, too, was guarded by the undead.

"There’s seriously no end to them!" Dick cursed.

"Let’s go!" Meirin yelled, her voice tight with resolve.

They had no choice but to force their way through. As Dick and Meirin charged ahead, cutting a frantic path through the horde, Simon deliberately fell back. Hidden behind the warehouse, he made a sharp gesture in the air.

’Someone’s going to get hurt at this rate. I’ll have to borrow some power. Pier.’

From this angle, the warehouse shielded his actions from his friends. A gate to his Subspace tore open, and Pier and the Legion Skeletons stormed out.

[Bwahaha! I always welcome a good rampage!] Pier boomed, heaving his greatsword onto his shoulder. [But if you fight like this, your friends will find out you’re a Legion Commander, won’t they?]

’They won’t,’ Simon replied with a grin. ’This is Deathland, a paradise for the undead. Skeletons fighting zombies is hardly a strange sight.’

[Aha!]

’Pier, you’ll act as a separate unit,’ Simon instructed. ’We’ll move as if we don’t know each other.’

[Bwahahaha! Understood!]

In short, they were to act like native monsters of Deathland. As Pier and his Legion Skeletons moved out, Simon sprinted back to his group, rejoining them as if nothing had happened.

"Whoa, this is seriously dangerous," Dick muttered. They had cleared the zombies immediately in front of them, but nearly a hundred more now blocked the path to the sewer. Worse, their numbers were growing by the second, tightening the circle around them.

Meirin bit her lip, her eyes darting to her tonguepad, clearly hesitating to send a distress signal.

But her dilemma was resolved in a flash.

A massive cleave of energy tore through the dense formation of zombies, bisecting the horde.

[Bwahahahaha!]

A tall skeleton wielding a pure-white greatsword leaped into the fray. With a single swing, he slaughtered zombies by the dozen. Behind him, the Legion Skeletons joined the carnage, tearing into the undead alongside their commander.

"...Huh?" Meirin murmured, confused.

"Skeletons fighting zombies?" Simon said, feigning ignorance. "Must be a territorial dispute. Whatever it is, this is our chance! Run!"

The group broke into a sprint toward the sewer as Pier and his unit executed their mission flawlessly. To an outsider, it looked like a chaotic, indiscriminate battle, but Pier was expertly drawing the zombies’ attention while shadowing Simon’s group. Every so often, he would unleash a powerful slash, obliterating any undead that strayed too close to them.

"Whoa! Fucking cool!" Dick shouted, his eyes glued to Pier even as he ran for his life. "That sword, that cape... wow! It’s a necromancer’s dream! Isn’t it insane, Simon? I’d give anything to have an undead like that!"

Simon forced a smile. "Y-Yeah, it is."

"But isn’t it a little strange?" Meirin asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are those really Deathland skeletons? Why does it feel like they’re helping us?"

"What are you talking about? It’s a coincidence," Dick shot back, though Simon’s expression was tight with guilt.

’Ugh, is it too obvious?’ he wondered. Since his group and the Legion were heading in the same direction, her suspicion was understandable.

He discreetly poked Pier’s clone on his uniform. ’Pier, can you see my position?’

[Yeah, I see it.]

’Fire a precision slash right at us. I’ll react to it somehow.’

[Bwahahaha! You crazy bastard!]

Despite the insult, a flash of light erupted from Pier’s location. He was already complying.

[Ten paces ahead of you. Now.]

Simon reacted instantly as a massive wave of energy hurtled toward them. "Meirin!"

He lunged, tackling her to the ground just as the slash tore through the space they had occupied a second before. Terrified, Dick and Kamibarez stumbled backward and fell on their behinds.

A thick cloud of dust billowed up, revealing a deep gash carved into the earth.

"Whoa, shit..." Dick breathed, letting out a hollow laugh as he stared at the mark. "Who was it that said that monster was on our side?"

Simon scrambled to his feet. "Meirin! Are you okay?"

Her face was bright red. She stared at him, dazed, before snapping out of it. "Ah! Yeah, thanks."

"Here it comes again!" Dick yelled.

Pier was now unleashing indiscriminate attacks in every direction. The ground shook violently, and buildings crumbled around them, raining debris from the sky. Pelted by falling fragments, the four of them ran for their lives.

[How was the acting?] Pier’s voice echoed in his mind.

’Nice!’ Simon thought, flashing a quick thumbs-up toward the clone on his uniform as he ran. The clone chuckled.

"Over there! I can see the sewer!" Kamibarez shouted.

With Pier and the skeletons holding back the horde, they finally reached the manhole cover. Meirin once again used her Jet-Black flames to create a screen of smoke while Dick scattered enchanted music boxes to create a diversion. Simon heaved the lid open, and the other three scrambled down the ladder. He followed last, carefully replacing the cover before sealing it with one of Dick’s enchantments.

"Phew."

"We’re alive," Meirin breathed.

A collective sigh of relief filled the cramped space.

"Let’s hurry back to camp," she urged. "This place is definitely not normal."

"I completely agree," Kamibarez added.

They descended the ladder and began walking through the sewer tunnel. The zombies remained above, and the crushing tension finally began to ease.

"By the way, wasn’t that skeleton’s presence insane?" Dick said, his excitement returning. "Wow! That one must be the ruler of Deathland, right?"

"Enough already, you dummy," Meirin chided.

The comment prompted Simon to tap Pier’s clone with his fingertip. ’Pier, how are things up there?’

[There’s just a shitload of them, but it’s no problem. I’ll fight for a bit, then retreat and rejoin you.]

’Okay. I’m counting on you.’

It seemed they had managed to get through the mission safely. The only disappointment was his failure to find any clues about Prince. He wanted to explore more of Deathland, but he couldn’t think of a good reason to abandon his team and search alone. If he tried, they would insist on coming with him, citing the danger.

Simon froze. A sudden, intense chill shot down his spine. The air carried the foul, unmistakable stench of corpses.

Kamibarez, walking beside him, gave him a quizzical look. "What’s wrong, Simon?"

"Everyone, stop," Dick commanded from the front, raising an arm. "Someone’s coming from the other side."

Footsteps echoed through the enclosed tunnel, the sound amplified by the stone walls.

"Who is it?" Meirin whispered. "A zombie?"

"The footsteps sound too normal for a zombie," Dick noted.

"Could it be other Kizen students?" Kamibarez suggested.

Simon shook his head. "If that were the case, we’d hear at least two sets of footsteps. No Kizen student would wander a place this dangerous alone."

They held their breath, waiting.

[Hmph.] A boy with an unsettling appearance emerged from the darkness.

He looked no older than twelve, with striking gray skin. He was dressed in the luxurious formal wear of a young noble, a crown resting on his head.

He was dragging something behind him: the rotting corpse of a horse, a large, gaping hole torn in its side as if gnawed by some beast.

’W-Who is he?’

It was obvious he was no ordinary person. As the four students tensed, the boy tossed the horse’s carcass in front of them. They flinched back from the grotesque sight.

[My name is Prince,] the boy announced. [I am the ruler of Deathland.]