Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 129

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Necromancer School’s Summoning Genius · Chapter 129
War had begun.
Skeleton forces led by Manus—a former Sword Master of the Empire and now an Ancient Undead—were surging toward Prince’s Mansion.
Prince’s zombies, which had once ruled Deathland, were struggling. Part of it stemmed from heavy casualties in the earlier battle with Pier, but there was a far more pressing problem.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Manus’s side had deployed a new type of undead at the front.
The Meat Golem—Habier’s masterwork. Its legs were stubby and its torso bulged like a tumbler doll, crowned with a small head perched on top.
Most notably, its entire body was covered in tough yet elastic living hide.
—Aaaaaagh!
—Uuuuugh!
The zombies’ fangs and claws scraped uselessly against this organic armor, leaving no mark whatsoever.
No matter how viciously they clawed, only the sound of scratching echoed out as the Meat Golems trampled the zombies underfoot, swinging their long arms in devastating arcs. With each swing, a dozen tightly packed zombies flew through the air like toys.
There were sixteen Meat Golems in total. With such a number of large-scale monsters pressing forward at the frontline, there was no conceivable way the zombies alone could stand against them.
[Damn it all!]
Prince watched the scene unfold from his mansion, gnashing his teeth.
These modified Meat Golems had streamlined all other functions, focusing entirely on shell reinforcement. They were essentially undead units born solely to counter zombies.
He didn’t know whose handiwork this was, but irritation boiled in his chest.
—Uuuuugh.
[I know already!]
Prince snapped irritably at the zombie’s protest and strode toward his main body seated upon the throne.
It was a withered corpse, and upon its head sat a Crown.
Prince wore a Crown as well, but it was merely a counterfeit forged from his power; the Crown worn by his true body blazed with brilliant light, proof of its authenticity.
‘The Crown must never be surrendered.’
Prince turned to his zombie subordinates.
[Simon will arrive soon. When he does, bind him in chains and throw him into the Underground Dungeon Prison. He won’t attempt anything rash once he realizes that woman is being held hostage.]
—Aaaaaagh!
Click.
Prince opened the window.
He took one final look at his main body, then hurled himself out of the mansion.
* * *
Whoosh.
Manus surveyed the battlefield from above.
He was satisfied. Though his forces were outnumbered, with Meat Golems immune to zombie attacks, the tide of battle was flowing favorably.
‘Still, the zombies’ aggression remains a genuine threat.’
Indeed, packs of zombies were attempting to squeeze through the gaps between Meat Golems.
Manus walked slowly toward them and grasped the sword at his waist.
Shriiiing!
As Manus drew his blade, a single slash cleaved through the enemy ranks in a straight line.
That was all. With a sickening wet sound, blood sprayed in all directions and the zombies collapsed, severed clean at the waist, writhing helplessly.
Clap clap clap!
“Magnificent! Simply magnificent!”
“Extraordinary, Commander Manus!”
Two of Habier’s subordinates behind Manus were clapping enthusiastically and lavishing praise.
[Where is Habier in this moment of war?]
“It seems a minor matter arose, sir!”
“But he should return shortly!”
[Hmm.]
Habier was not a man Manus particularly liked, yet he could not help but acknowledge the man’s competence.
It was Habier who had developed the Meat Golems, and it was also Habier who had discovered the method to penetrate Prince’s Barrier. The timing of the mansion assault itself was excellent as well.
He had struck precisely when Prince was in disarray.
Grab!
Speak of the devil—Habier suddenly appeared from behind, gripping the heads of the two subordinates.
Manus’s brow furrowed.
[What is the meaning of this display, Habier?]
Habier’s entire body was twisted like a mummy. He whispered an incantation.
Life Drain.
As the magic circle in his palm activated, the subordinates shrieked in horror and thrashed desperately. Their bodies gradually withered to mummy-like forms while Habier’s own body slowly returned to its normal state.
“Kuhh! Phew, I feel alive again.”
When Habier released his grip, two mummified corpses slumped to the ground with dull thuds.
[Was it necessary to drain every last drop of their life force? They were merely subordinates, were they not?]
Manus asked with a displeased tone.
“So you were planning this all along when you hired me and brought me along.”
He brought the staff in his hand down against the floor, and the skin of the two men split open, revealing skeletons bursting forth.
Habier opened a subspace with practiced ease and retrieved the skeletons.
[Hmm.]
Even to Manus, himself undead, it was not a pleasant sight to behold.
“My apologies for the delay. I was waylaid by a strange fellow.”
Habier brushed the dust from his clothes as he spoke.
[No matter. From now on, please focus on the war.]
“As if I wouldn’t. How does the battle stand?”
[It proceeds exactly as we anticipated.]
Moving Prince’s true form to another location would require considerable time and effort.
The zombie prince would surely fight to the bitter end to protect the mansion, so victory would be theirs once they breached it and drove back the undead hordes.
“Of course, it’s unlikely the zombie prince will simply sit idle and watch.”
Habier narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the battlefield and spoke.
“Ah, here he comes!”
* * *
Prince arrived at the battlefield.
Before even arriving, his objective was already clear.
The Meat Golems—creatures that ordinary zombies could not harm—had to be eliminated entirely for them to have any chance of victory.
[Kraaaagh!]
Prince charged forward at full speed and drove his fist directly into the belly of the first Meat Golem before him.
Thoom!
The impact point caved inward, and the Meat Golem’s abdomen rippled like water.
‘Shock absorption?’
Crack!
He took the Meat Golem’s counterattack full in the body. It didn’t hurt, but a flash of fierce anger crossed Prince’s face.
[A worthless rag with no foundation!]
He immediately changed his strategy. This time, he scaled the Meat Golem’s torso and aimed for its head. He seized the head firmly with both legs and twisted it sideways.
Crunch!
The sound of a neck breaking echoed out, and the Meat Golem let out a agonized shriek. Prince raised his fist high.
Boom! Crack! Smash! Thud!
Under the relentless barrage, the Meat Golem’s face became a mangled, bloody mess. Soon its massive body toppled heavily to the ground.
[Now.]
Prince issued the order for the zombies to charge.
-Aaaaaaaah!
-Keeeee!
The horde of zombies that had been blocked by the Meat Golem poured forth like water breaking through a dam, surging toward Manus’s skeletal forces.
For the first time, the battle seemed to have some breathing room.
‘Next.’
Fifteen more Meat Golems remained.
An overwhelming number, enough to make the mind reel, but there was no choice.
Prince rushed toward the second Meat Golem. Again he dodged its attacks and scaled upward toward its head.
‘End this quickly.’
Just as he raised his fist high—
Slice.
The sound of a blade cutting through the air rang in his ears. Prince suddenly felt his perspective shoot upward.
His eyes rolled downward to look below. He saw the chaotic battlefield—zombies and Meat Golems tangled together—and most of all, his own body still perched atop the Meat Golem.
His body had no head.
[……!]
The entire world drained to grey, and his vision inverted.
Prince’s eyes opened inside the mansion. He had returned to his true form.
‘What? What just happened to me?’
The ability of the Ancient Undead Prince.
He possessed nine renewable “lives,” and through focused meditation he could recover one approximately once a week.
But just now, that precious life had been lost far too easily.
‘Damn it!’
He had to return to the battlefield.
Prince stared out the window, then transformed one of the zombies on the battlefield into himself.
Rumble!
A sheet of pure darkness fell like lightning, engulfing the zombie’s body, then shifted into Prince. He lifted his head as he returned swiftly to the battlefield.
The Meat Golem loomed into view, and the zombie body that had been ‘his vessel’ moments before was tumbling through the air.
And some distance from there.
Click.
A skeleton sheathed its sword, draped in cloth embroidered with red rose patterns like ornamental designs, came into sight.
It was him.
[Manus!!]
Prince charged forward in fury. Manus spotted him, gripped the sword’s hilt, and lowered his stance.
‘I’m fine.’
He won’t cut me down.
I let my guard slip before, and I wasn’t cloaked in Darkness—that’s how I was struck.
The moment Manus’s blade flashed toward him, Prince raised both forearms in a defensive stance.
Shhhing!
[……!]
A deep wound opened across his arms, and a fountain of black blood sprayed forth.
The wound was severe. Even though he’d fortified his arms with Darkness, he’d come perilously close to losing them entirely.
[Surprised?]
Manus spoke, his sword held low.
[Tens of years ago in battle, I could not cut you down. After suffering that defeat, I’ve reconsidered much.]
[You……!]
Manus’s blade was stained black with Darkness.
[I abandoned my obsession with the old sword arts, abandoned my attempt to mimic Aura with Darkness. I’ve come to accept it—that Darkness surpasses Aura. I’ve focused on using the power of Darkness to heighten my blade’s cutting force to its extreme. The wound you bear now is the fruit of that labor.]
Manus’s eyes gleamed.
[Now, I can cut you down.]
[Don’t get cocky over one life taken! You filth!!]
Manus swung his sword, and Prince raised his arms once more in a guard position.
Slice.
This time a clean line appeared along his left forearm, and it fell away.
[Raaaagh!]
Though he’d lost an arm, Prince didn’t stop his charge.
He was faster—his bare hand seized the blade before Manus could swing again. Blood streamed from his palm as he pulled the sword toward himself and thrust a fist forward.
But the punch never came.
His left hand was gone, severed in the last exchange. It was a confusion Prince often encountered, given the nature of his ability to inhabit foreign bodies.
[Your tactics haven’t changed one bit in all these decades.]
[Damn you!]
Prince’s mouth gaped open as he tried to bite at Manus with his teeth.
[Agh!]
But then all his strength drained away like a lie. Prince dropped to one knee.
Behind him, a red magic circle drawn in blood glowed, and a single rose had taken root in his body, growing and spreading through him.
“Your body possesses considerable curse immunity, doesn’t it?”
Prince’s eyes widened as he turned to look behind him.
“So I refined Blood-based Techniques instead, and they prove quite effective.”
[Habier!! You betrayed me?!]
“Betrayed? I was never on your side to begin with. We were simply a business arrangement, nothing more.”
Habier smiled coldly and extended his hand. The rose swelled in size as Prince’s strength ebbed away.
[Habier!!!]
As Prince weakened, Manus wrenched the trapped sword free with force. Several of his fingers were severed in the process.
[That makes seven.]
Manus’s blade raked across Prince’s throat once more.
[Seven remain.]
Prince’s world blurred, his vision inverted. When he came to, he was back in the main body at the mansion.
‘Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!’
He needed time to think.
This time Prince didn’t rush back to the battlefield—instead, he descended into a nearby zombie standing guard over his body. Color flooded back into his vision, which had been nothing but grey.
‘Damn!!’
Seven remaining, he’d said?
Actually, it was six.
Losing one precious life so uselessly to those Legion creatures stung deeply.
What was his move now?
Could he destroy all the Meat Golems while evading those two?
Even if I burn through all six lives?
—Kaaaaaahhh.
Just then, a zombie approached Prince and reported something. Prince’s face twisted with irritation.
[Intruders? I just finished with Manus. What is this nonsense? I’m about to lose it, and now this keeps—!]
Crash!
Before he could finish speaking, the chamber door exploded inward with a thunderous crash.
Beyond the wreckage, a man’s leg stretched out plainly visible.
Step. Step.
As the figure of a man emerged from the swirling dust, Prince’s eyes flooded crimson with rage.
“Life’s hard on everyone. Smile a little, Prince.”
There was no better moment for that old saying—troubles coming in waves.
It was Simon, dressed in Pier’s Full Armor, stepping into the chamber.
[Damn—!]
“Prince.”
Simon’s mouth twisted into a crooked grin as he aimed his greatsword.
“How many lives do you have left?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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