MAEPG: Episode 10
Episode 10 Immortal King’s Fragment (3)
I finished my revenge and started cleaning up.
First, I gathered my undead subordinates and checked the damage.
The undead who had fought alongside me against Malcolm were almost completely wiped out, and those who had fought against the dark mage group resisting in the village had also suffered considerable damage from the fierce battle.
[…There were about five hundred, weren’t there? Only this many are left?]
Out of all the undead, less than thirty remained.
The damage was enormous, considering they had only fought against a little over forty.
If it had only been zombies and skeletons, it would have been a different story, but there were also higher-ranking undead among them.
If Malcolm hadn’t used the dark mages as sacrifices, the undead that went to the village would have been completely annihilated.
‘Well, in that case, I would have dealt with Malcolm faster and gone to help them, but…’
I roughly assessed the damage and examined Malcolm’s corpse.
If the number of troops decreased, I could just replenish them.
If it wasn’t completely destroyed beyond recovery, I could recover a certain number.
After all, wasn’t the beauty of a necromancer to increase their forces by using the corpses of enemies who died in battle?
‘Hmm… I wonder if it will work.’
I had seen Malcolm summon undead a few times, but it was only summoning a large number of low-level undead.
Well, he had no choice since I had taken all the higher-ranking undead he had collected.
In the end, I had never learned how to create undead using corpses.
If I tried it carelessly and something went wrong, making the corpse unusable, I would cry tears of blood.
It didn’t seem like it would be easy to obtain a high-level corpse like this again in the future.
As I was examining it, I noticed something strange.
Malcolm’s corpse had no soul.
This was the first time I had examined a corpse like this since becoming a Demi-Lich, so I wondered if this was normal and investigated further, and that’s when I discovered the cause.
A red magic circle was engraved on Malcolm’s heart, and his soul had been forcibly extracted by it.
‘Was his soul taken through a demonic contract or something? Or maybe the organization behind him took measures for security.’
It would have been nice if I could have obtained information through his soul, but it was a shame.
I had never done it before, but I might have been able to get something out of it if I tried various things.
‘But it’s fortunate that I can still use his body.’
I looked away from Malcolm and looked around, and that’s when I found what I was looking for.
The kind dark mage who had first taught me.
He was lying in a corner, battered and bruised from the aftermath of the fierce battle, but somehow still retaining his shape.
‘This guy’s soul has been extracted too. But I think I can still use this, right?’
Not only did he give me private lessons, but he also provided me with an opportunity for practical training.
With a grateful heart, I attempted to create an undead.
I used the knowledge of “Dark Magic” I had acquired so far, the experience of observing the undead, and the information about the undead I had obtained when I resonated with the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’ to manipulate dark magic power.
‘Connect and synchronize the corpse with dark magic power, contaminate the remaining magic power in the body and alter the physical information… Gather the fragments of thoughts… Is this how you do it?’
Black flames engulfed the corpse, burning away everything but the bones.
It seemed to be going well at first, but then…
Crack—! Fizzle…
Cracks suddenly spread through the remaining bones, and they began to crumble.
[Uh… sorry?]
I offered a light apology.
Still, thanks to him, I was able to get a feel for it.
I immediately had the undead bring Jeraph’s corpse from the warehouse and sat in front of it, attempting to create an undead once again.
Perhaps thanks to the ‘Jeffy Chance’ that always helped me, I was able to succeed this time.
A skeleton mage was complete.
I gained confidence from my success, but it was a bit awkward to use Malcolm’s corpse already.
I needed to try a few more times to be sure.
‘Well, there are plenty of materials, so I can practice enough and try it on him last.’
I had the guy next to me carry Malcolm’s corpse and got up to look around the village.
Tilt—
My body tilted for a moment.
It was uncomfortable to balance without one arm.
‘I need to fix this first, right?’
I had the undead search for my right arm, which had been blown off during the battle with Malcolm.
They searched thoroughly and found it quickly, but as expected, it wasn’t in good condition.
‘The upper arm is completely gone? I can’t use this.’
I couldn’t attach my elbow to my shoulder.
If I were a real lich who had extracted my essence and stored it to gain immortality, I would have gathered the bone fragments and regenerated it, but that was impossible for me.
As I was pondering this, I noticed the remains of the death knight that had been blown away and shattered right before the fight with Malcolm.
It seemed completely destroyed and unusable.
I examined it and found that the right arm part was intact and the build was similar to mine.
‘I can just attach this instead!’
I quickly picked up the death knight’s right arm and placed the cut surface against my shoulder.
As I connected them using dark magic power, just like I did when synchronizing with the fragment, black flames erupted, burning away all the flesh attached to the mummified arm, leaving only bones.
Soon, “Super Recovery” activated, and my body and the death knight’s arm were joined.
[Hmm… it feels a bit awkward?]
I swung the newly attached arm back and forth, then adjusted the size meticulously using dark magic that controlled bones to balance it.
[It’s fine now! It’s perfect!]
The color of the arm bone was slightly different, but I was very satisfied.
Perhaps because I used good quality bones, there was no difference in manipulating dark magic power compared to using my previous arm.
[Now, shall we go collect the spoils of war?]
I was the only one left in this village, and there were still countless things to collect.
I looked at the village and smiled with satisfaction.
I finished my revenge and started cleaning up.
First, I gathered my undead subordinates and checked the damage.
The undead who had fought alongside me against Malcolm were almost completely wiped out, and those who had fought against the dark mage group resisting in the village had also suffered considerable damage from the fierce battle.
[…There were about five hundred, weren’t there? Only this many are left?]
Out of all the undead, less than thirty remained.
The damage was enormous, considering they had only fought against a little over forty.
If it had only been zombies and skeletons, it would have been a different story, but there were also higher-ranking undead among them.
If Malcolm hadn’t used the dark mages as sacrifices, the undead that went to the village would have been completely annihilated.
‘Well, in that case, I would have dealt with Malcolm faster and gone to help them, but…’
I roughly assessed the damage and examined Malcolm’s corpse.
If the number of troops decreased, I could just replenish them.
If it wasn’t completely destroyed beyond recovery, I could recover a certain number.
After all, wasn’t the beauty of a necromancer to increase their forces by using the corpses of enemies who died in battle?
‘Hmm… I wonder if it will work.’
I had seen Malcolm summon undead a few times, but it was only summoning a large number of low-level undead.
Well, he had no choice since I had taken all the higher-ranking undead he had collected.
In the end, I had never learned how to create undead using corpses.
If I tried it carelessly and something went wrong, making the corpse unusable, I would cry tears of blood.
It didn’t seem like it would be easy to obtain a high-level corpse like this again in the future.
As I was examining it, I noticed something strange.
Malcolm’s corpse had no soul.
This was the first time I had examined a corpse like this since becoming a Demi-Lich, so I wondered if this was normal and investigated further, and that’s when I discovered the cause.
A red magic circle was engraved on Malcolm’s heart, and his soul had been forcibly extracted by it.
‘Was his soul taken through a demonic contract or something? Or maybe the organization behind him took measures for security.’
It would have been nice if I could have obtained information through his soul, but it was a shame.
I had never done it before, but I might have been able to get something out of it if I tried various things.
‘But it’s fortunate that I can still use his body.’
I looked away from Malcolm and looked around, and that’s when I found what I was looking for.
The kind dark mage who had first taught me.
He was lying in a corner, battered and bruised from the aftermath of the fierce battle, but somehow still retaining his shape.
‘This guy’s soul has been extracted too. But I think I can still use this, right?’
Not only did he give me private lessons, but he also provided me with an opportunity for practical training.
With a grateful heart, I attempted to create an undead.
I used the knowledge of “Dark Magic” I had acquired so far, the experience of observing the undead, and the information about the undead I had obtained when I resonated with the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’ to manipulate dark magic power.
‘Connect and synchronize the corpse with dark magic power, contaminate the remaining magic power in the body and alter the physical information… Gather the fragments of thoughts… Is this how you do it?’
Black flames engulfed the corpse, burning away everything but the bones.
It seemed to be going well at first, but then…
Crack—! Fizzle…
Cracks suddenly spread through the remaining bones, and they began to crumble.
[Uh… sorry?]
I offered a light apology.
Still, thanks to him, I was able to get a feel for it.
I immediately had the undead bring Jeraph’s corpse from the warehouse and sat in front of it, attempting to create an undead once again.
Perhaps thanks to the ‘Jeffy Chance’ that always helped me, I was able to succeed this time.
A skeleton mage was complete.
I gained confidence from my success, but it was a bit awkward to use Malcolm’s corpse already.
I needed to try a few more times to be sure.
‘Well, there are plenty of materials, so I can practice enough and try it on him last.’
I had the guy next to me carry Malcolm’s corpse and got up to look around the village.
Tilt—
My body tilted for a moment.
It was uncomfortable to balance without one arm.
‘I need to fix this first, right?’
I had the undead search for my right arm, which had been blown off during the battle with Malcolm.
They searched thoroughly and found it quickly, but as expected, it wasn’t in good condition.
‘The upper arm is completely gone? I can’t use this.’
I couldn’t attach my elbow to my shoulder.
If I were a real lich who had extracted my essence and stored it to gain immortality, I would have gathered the bone fragments and regenerated it, but that was impossible for me.
As I was pondering this, I noticed the remains of the death knight that had been blown away and shattered right before the fight with Malcolm.
It seemed completely destroyed and unusable.
I examined it and found that the right arm part was intact and the build was similar to mine.
‘I can just attach this instead!’
I quickly picked up the death knight’s right arm and placed the cut surface against my shoulder.
As I connected them using dark magic power, just like I did when synchronizing with the fragment, black flames erupted, burning away all the flesh attached to the mummified arm, leaving only bones.
Soon, “Super Recovery” activated, and my body and the death knight’s arm were joined.
[Hmm… it feels a bit awkward?]
I swung the newly attached arm back and forth, then adjusted the size meticulously using dark magic that controlled bones to balance it.
[It’s fine now! It’s perfect!]
The color of the arm bone was slightly different, but I was very satisfied.
Perhaps because I used good quality bones, there was no difference in manipulating dark magic power compared to using my previous arm.
[Now, shall we go collect the spoils of war?]
I was the only one left in this village, and there were still countless things to collect.
I looked at the village and smiled with satisfaction.
_____________________
Unfortunately, most of the undead that were defeated by Malcolm were beyond recovery.
I revived as many as I could and looked around the destroyed village.
Undead were scattered everywhere, broken, and there were also a few corpses that seemed to be subordinates.
It seemed they were the ones who were defeated after the undead attack, unable to join the main group.
I approached them, recovered any undead that could be revived, and turned the subordinates’ corpses into new undead.
[This time, it’s a skeleton warrior.]
I led the newly joined undead and raided the nearby buildings, gathering anything useful.
I created new undead whenever I found new corpses, but there weren’t as many as I thought.
And it wasn’t until I reached the center of the village that I realized why.
[They were all gathered here.]
A major battle had taken place here between the two sides.
Hundreds of undead remains were scattered around, and the dark mage group had been wiped out together.
I hadn’t been able to grasp the details of the situation after that because I was focused on fighting Malcolm, but it seemed they had gathered together and fought, using the alleyways for cover.
Moreover, the dark mages were all equipped with robes and staffs.
Seeing that the subordinates were also armed, it seemed they had prepared for battle and gathered as soon as things happened.
[Uh… but the number of undead is a bit strange? Why are there so many?]
And there were also quite a few undead that seemed to have fought while guarding the center.
[Aha, these must be the ones the dark mages had summoned separately.]
Upon closer inspection, there weren’t many higher-ranking undead. Still, there were quite a few, which must have helped them hold out.
And as I looked further, I could see that there were a few particularly strong individuals among the subordinates.
The one who had inflicted the most damage was the middle-aged man who had been guarding the village entrance.
[I thought he was quite strong when I scanned the entire village, but I didn’t expect him to be this strong.]
It seemed that most of the higher-ranking undead that had attacked were destroyed by this man.
Unlike the mages, he was a warrior, so there must have been a difference between the amount of dark magic power he possessed and his combat power.
[I could be in big trouble if I let my guard down just by looking at the amount of dark magic power… I need to be careful in the future.]
Fortunately, this guy had fought well, but it seemed he couldn’t hold out for long after Malcolm died and the dark mages were wiped out all at once.
[But now he’s my sacrifice.]
I started turning the lower-level ones into undead one by one.
The dark mages became skeleton mages, and the subordinates became elite skeletons or skeleton warriors.
A few subordinates I had my eye on became skeleton knights.
As I diligently created undead, I realized that the lowest level among them was an elite skeleton.
I was the weakest in this village.
‘Whatever, I’m the strongest now. I’ll make these guys work their bones off.’
There was no particular reason why the newly created undead were all skeletons.
I created undead using the information stored in the fragment, and perhaps it was Malcolm’s preference, but the most sacrificed ones were skeletons, so they were the most efficient.
Also, since I was originally a skeleton, it was definitely easier to create that type.
‘There’s a lack of diversity, but it can’t be helped.’
Still, it was a shame to just leave the village gatekeeper as a skeleton knight, so I put in a little more effort.
Since Malcolm was planning to turn him into a stronger individual anyway, I tried to create the best undead based on my experience so far.
[Gurgle…]
A gurgling sound came from the fallen corpse, and then its dented and dangling neck fell off.
Then the body slowly rose from its spot, picked up its severed head, and tucked it under its arm.
[Oh, it worked.]
A Dullahan, a headless knight, was born.
Now that most of the higher-ranking undead had been wiped out, this Dullahan was my strongest force.
There were a few other Dullahans, but they weren’t in good condition.
Of course, that was only until this moment, and the ranking would soon change.
It was finally Malcolm’s turn.
I needed a moment to think before that.
There weren’t many undead in the information I had that were suitable for a mage.
It was a waste to just turn Malcolm into a skeleton mage.
Ghosts required a soul to create, and liches were the same.
‘No, normally, liches are created when mages become corrupted and voluntarily turn into undead. I don’t even have the information for that.’
Malcolm wasn’t wrong to call me half-baked.
As I was wondering if there was any way, I suddenly noticed my right arm.
A proper death knight was one of the highest-ranking undead, retaining its ego and possessing combat power that wasn’t far behind a lich.
The ones I had briefly commanded had their power drained and their egos erased from being exposed to the fragment for so long.
‘Of course, I can’t turn Malcolm, a mage, into a death knight, but I think I can imitate it to some extent…’
The ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’ contained information about death knights, I had examined them a few times after evolving into a Demi-Lich, and my right arm was currently a death knight’s.
[Alright, let’s do it.]
I sat down, placed my right hand on Malcolm’s corpse, and focused.
“Wicked Wisdom” whispered the method to me using the knowledge I had gained so far. The ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’ in my heart lent its power.
Black flames engulfed Malcolm’s body.
But unlike before, it didn’t just leave bones behind, it dried up like a mummy, as if only the moisture had evaporated.
It worked.
I hurriedly gathered Malcolm’s remaining thoughts and implanted an ego.
The fragmented thoughts had no value as information, but this way, he would have enough intelligence to make his own judgments.
Soon, Malcolm slowly rose from his spot and stood upright.
And then he raised his eyes, glowing with blue ghost fire, looked at me, and bowed his head.
[Your orders.]
‘Oh… he speaks!’
I was momentarily moved because it was the first time I had seen an undead other than myself speak.
‘He has an ego and can speak, so he needs a name…’
I thought about it for a moment, then realized there was no need to think about it.
[Your name is Malcolm. Nice to meet you. Listen to me from now on, okay?]
It would be confusing to give him a different name, and since this name was probably an alias like Jeffy’s anyway, it didn’t matter.
Nod
He couldn’t answer properly yet since he had just gained an ego, but it would gradually improve over time.
Thwack!
Because if he didn’t, I would hit him.
[Answer me, you bastard.]
[…Yes.]
Thus, I achieved all my revenge, and Malcolm, who had killed me, became a ‘Death Wizard’ and my subordinate.
Unfortunately, most of the undead that were defeated by Malcolm were beyond recovery.
I revived as many as I could and looked around the destroyed village.
Undead were scattered everywhere, broken, and there were also a few corpses that seemed to be subordinates.
It seemed they were the ones who were defeated after the undead attack, unable to join the main group.
I approached them, recovered any undead that could be revived, and turned the subordinates’ corpses into new undead.
[This time, it’s a skeleton warrior.]
I led the newly joined undead and raided the nearby buildings, gathering anything useful.
I created new undead whenever I found new corpses, but there weren’t as many as I thought.
And it wasn’t until I reached the center of the village that I realized why.
[They were all gathered here.]
A major battle had taken place here between the two sides.
Hundreds of undead remains were scattered around, and the dark mage group had been wiped out together.
I hadn’t been able to grasp the details of the situation after that because I was focused on fighting Malcolm, but it seemed they had gathered together and fought, using the alleyways for cover.
Moreover, the dark mages were all equipped with robes and staffs.
Seeing that the subordinates were also armed, it seemed they had prepared for battle and gathered as soon as things happened.
[Uh… but the number of undead is a bit strange? Why are there so many?]
And there were also quite a few undead that seemed to have fought while guarding the center.
[Aha, these must be the ones the dark mages had summoned separately.]
Upon closer inspection, there weren’t many higher-ranking undead. Still, there were quite a few, which must have helped them hold out.
And as I looked further, I could see that there were a few particularly strong individuals among the subordinates.
The one who had inflicted the most damage was the middle-aged man who had been guarding the village entrance.
[I thought he was quite strong when I scanned the entire village, but I didn’t expect him to be this strong.]
It seemed that most of the higher-ranking undead that had attacked were destroyed by this man.
Unlike the mages, he was a warrior, so there must have been a difference between the amount of dark magic power he possessed and his combat power.
[I could be in big trouble if I let my guard down just by looking at the amount of dark magic power… I need to be careful in the future.]
Fortunately, this guy had fought well, but it seemed he couldn’t hold out for long after Malcolm died and the dark mages were wiped out all at once.
[But now he’s my sacrifice.]
I started turning the lower-level ones into undead one by one.
The dark mages became skeleton mages, and the subordinates became elite skeletons or skeleton warriors.
A few subordinates I had my eye on became skeleton knights.
As I diligently created undead, I realized that the lowest level among them was an elite skeleton.
I was the weakest in this village.
‘Whatever, I’m the strongest now. I’ll make these guys work their bones off.’
There was no particular reason why the newly created undead were all skeletons.
I created undead using the information stored in the fragment, and perhaps it was Malcolm’s preference, but the most sacrificed ones were skeletons, so they were the most efficient.
Also, since I was originally a skeleton, it was definitely easier to create that type.
‘There’s a lack of diversity, but it can’t be helped.’
Still, it was a shame to just leave the village gatekeeper as a skeleton knight, so I put in a little more effort.
Since Malcolm was planning to turn him into a stronger individual anyway, I tried to create the best undead based on my experience so far.
[Gurgle…]
A gurgling sound came from the fallen corpse, and then its dented and dangling neck fell off.
Then the body slowly rose from its spot, picked up its severed head, and tucked it under its arm.
[Oh, it worked.]
A Dullahan, a headless knight, was born.
Now that most of the higher-ranking undead had been wiped out, this Dullahan was my strongest force.
There were a few other Dullahans, but they weren’t in good condition.
Of course, that was only until this moment, and the ranking would soon change.
It was finally Malcolm’s turn.
I needed a moment to think before that.
There weren’t many undead in the information I had that were suitable for a mage.
It was a waste to just turn Malcolm into a skeleton mage.
Ghosts required a soul to create, and liches were the same.
‘No, normally, liches are created when mages become corrupted and voluntarily turn into undead. I don’t even have the information for that.’
Malcolm wasn’t wrong to call me half-baked.
As I was wondering if there was any way, I suddenly noticed my right arm.
A proper death knight was one of the highest-ranking undead, retaining its ego and possessing combat power that wasn’t far behind a lich.
The ones I had briefly commanded had their power drained and their egos erased from being exposed to the fragment for so long.
‘Of course, I can’t turn Malcolm, a mage, into a death knight, but I think I can imitate it to some extent…’
The ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’ contained information about death knights, I had examined them a few times after evolving into a Demi-Lich, and my right arm was currently a death knight’s.
[Alright, let’s do it.]
I sat down, placed my right hand on Malcolm’s corpse, and focused.
“Wicked Wisdom” whispered the method to me using the knowledge I had gained so far. The ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’ in my heart lent its power.
Black flames engulfed Malcolm’s body.
But unlike before, it didn’t just leave bones behind, it dried up like a mummy, as if only the moisture had evaporated.
It worked.
I hurriedly gathered Malcolm’s remaining thoughts and implanted an ego.
The fragmented thoughts had no value as information, but this way, he would have enough intelligence to make his own judgments.
Soon, Malcolm slowly rose from his spot and stood upright.
And then he raised his eyes, glowing with blue ghost fire, looked at me, and bowed his head.
[Your orders.]
‘Oh… he speaks!’
I was momentarily moved because it was the first time I had seen an undead other than myself speak.
‘He has an ego and can speak, so he needs a name…’
I thought about it for a moment, then realized there was no need to think about it.
[Your name is Malcolm. Nice to meet you. Listen to me from now on, okay?]
It would be confusing to give him a different name, and since this name was probably an alias like Jeffy’s anyway, it didn’t matter.
Nod
He couldn’t answer properly yet since he had just gained an ego, but it would gradually improve over time.
Thwack!
Because if he didn’t, I would hit him.
[Answer me, you bastard.]
[…Yes.]
Thus, I achieved all my revenge, and Malcolm, who had killed me, became a ‘Death Wizard’ and my subordinate.
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