Reborn with a Necromancer System-Chapter 234: Demon Massacre

With a flick of Seyren's wrist, the illusions peeled away like smoke caught in a sudden gale. The demons froze, caught off guard as the veil that had hidden them dissolved, leaving them standing exposed in the open. Their eyes darted between each other, then widened as they realized their prey was already turning to face them.

Kai's shadow stirred, and from it emerged Merri, the shadowsworn assassin, her form half-consumed by writhing darkness, her blades glinting dully. Behind her came Ralts, cold and silent, flesh-manipulation magic already coiling at her fingertips. Joe, the looming deathknight, moved into place before her, his armor scraping as he raised his rusted blade, a wall of steel and malice.

And then came the twelve skeleton fire mages. Only, they were no longer the frail novices Kai had once raised, they radiated power now, their bones glowing faintly with cracks of ember light, flame wreathing their fingertips as though desperate to be unleashed.

[Grand Skeleton Fire Mage]

'Oh, nice.'

At Ralts' subtle gesture, they fell into a perfect formation. Their skeletal jaws clattered open in unison as the first orbs of flame flickered into existence.

Vepice broke first into a sprint, her form blurring as she slipped through threads of time.

The demons swiped, struck, and clawed at her, but their movements dragged like they were moving underwater. She twisted, pivoted, struck in return, each blow connecting before her enemies realized she had even shifted. The thrill of her growing mastery was written in her fierce grin.

Seyren didn't even bother running. She strolled forward, her hands lazily weaving strands of chaotic magic that detonated in flashes of color and sound. When one of the demons cried out her name in desperation, she silenced him with a beam of raw entropy that erased him mid-scream.

It was a massacre.

Kai, unshackled at last, could feel it, his mana roaring to life without restraint, his magic surging to levels that felt almost intoxicating. He laughed under his breath.

"It feels good not to have to hold back anymore."

"About that," Seyren said casually, snapping another blast into the face of a charging fiend. "I lied earlier. We demons can't sense magic the way I told you. I only said that to make the journey harder. Easier for me to kill you all if it came to that."

Kai blinked at her, then smirked despite himself. "Seriously? Figures..."

The demons tried, they really did. But every strike was intercepted, every claw shattered, every spell unspooled before it reached its mark. Blood and ash painted the ground, and yet not one scratch landed on Kai's group.

He sighed, almost disappointed, as the last demon fell twitching to the dirt. Their corpses would have been valuable, but as he reached out with his soul manipulation, the system's voice cut sharply across his thoughts:

[Caution: acquiring too many corrupted souls and storing them in your soul vault will lead to your own corruption.]

Kai frowned. "And… that's bad?"

Vepice and Seyren looked quizzically at him.

The system gave no reply, but the silence itself was answer enough. He could almost imagine it glaring at him.

"I wonder what rank my soul even is. Maybe I can-"

The thought was cut short as something slammed into his face with the force of a falling boulder. His body spun sideways, his barriers shattering, blood spraying from his mouth as he hit the ground. His mana sense flared instinctively, yet nothing registered.

Absolutely nothing.

Then a shape shimmered into view, camouflage dissolving like broken glass. A brown-and-red-scaled reptilian humanoid stepped forward, massive wings folding against his back, his eyes burning with triumph.

"Sazar!" Seyren's voice cracked with rage.

The winged demon grinned, fangs glinting. Or at least it looked like a grin.

"You're not fit to rule, Seyren! I'll kill you all here!"

"Traitor!" Seyren roared, unleashing a massive torrent of chaotic energy. The beam screamed through the air, tearing chunks from the ground as it barreled toward him.

But Sazar merely raised a claw. With a casual swipe, he batted it aside as if brushing away a drifting leaf.

"You've wasted your strength wandering, playing at 'learning' with these humans," Sazar spat, stepping closer. His wings unfurled, casting a long shadow over them. "I've been training. Waiting. And now this is my chance. I'll kill you, and then your pets." His gaze cut toward Kai with contempt. "Starting with them."

"Pets?" Kai wiped blood from his lip and glared, shadows coiling at his back like living smoke. His voice dropped cold as iron. "I'll teach you to beg before I kill you."

He raised his hands, magic spiraling together. Five colossal spears of shadow erupted into being, the air vibrating with their sheer size.

At the same time, seven skeletal knights clawed out of the shadows in the ground before him, their rusted weapons rising in silent defiance.

But Sazar didn't wait.

He lunged, his claws tearing trenches through the floor of the castl's throne room.

Vepice blurred into his path, her chronomancy twisting his steps into sluggish jerks, but he ripped through it with sheer brute force.

It looked as though he increased his speed to compensate for the slow.

Kai wasn't finished. Flames wrapped around the spears, heat warping the air.

"You think you're smart, human!?" Salaz yelled.

A blast of raw magic power ripped through a skeleton knight and pierced Kai's left shoulder. It bled rapidly and healed much slower than his usual injuries.

With a thought, wind spun the spears of darkness faster, faster, until they screamed like grinding blades.

'It's not enough.'

He felt that their power was still less than Seyren's magic.

He'd bring out Joran, but with the damage he already received, he didn't want Salaz to finish the job and take one of his most-prized soldiers.

Salaz ripped through two more knights before Joe charged forward and stood between him and Kai.

Ralts and her mages were busy taking on a new wave of demons with Merri's assistance.

Kai focused while he applied a third element to his spears.

Sparks of lightning snapped across their surfaces, crackling with deadly anticipation.

"Let's see you swat this away." Kai said, with a massive grin spreading across his face.