LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 197
Chapter 197: IF ━ If Malak Had Not Responded （2）
━ Priestess who betrayed the Loa to learn Necromancy, you have come to the right place. I am Karon, the adversary of the gods, the greatest Necromancer on Earth.
Tteunteuni’s eyes, possessed by Karon, emitted an eerie red light. Karon’s madness seemed to be faintly visible.
━ By the way, the Book of the Dead.
Karon scoffed as he saw the Book of the Dead in Paya’s hand.
━ There are many things not written in the Book of the Dead. That book only contains the basics that low-level Necromancers, abandoned and fleeing their tribes, have learned through foolish methods. Only I, Karon, know the true essence of Necromancy.
Karon added that even if she mastered the entire Book of the Dead, she would only be able to control low-level zombies.
━ Priestess Paya, won’t you join me in defeating the cruel gods and saving the Earth? It’s not just about saving your tribe, but everyone.
Karon proposed cooperation, offering to pass on the essence of his Necromancy to Paya. His shamelessness was boundless, considering he had just tried to steal her body.
“…”
But Paya had no other choice. Too much had been lost to get this far, just to turn back now.
“Did you also take Tteunteuni’s body through Necromancy?”
━ No. This is different from Necromancy. It’s a spell that subdues the soul and steals the body. I can teach it to you if you want. Of course, if we cooperate.
“…Can’t you return Tteunteuni?”
After a brief thought, Karon shook his head.
━ Impossible. The soul of the one subdued by this spell falls into a deep unconsciousness, making it difficult to return.
“…”
Paya, her fingertips trembling at the terrible answer, nodded.
A sense of helplessness and rage welled up deep inside her, but in the end, she had no choice but to cooperate with Karon.
Thus, Paya and Karon emerged from the Necromancer’s Tomb.
“Sob…!”
Outside the tomb, Una was wailing, having laid Kanto’s lifeless body down.
Only then did Paya realize that there was no one left in this world who cared for her.
Her parents, Tteunteuni, and Kanto Oppa were all gone. Only Karon, the evil spirit radiating a sinister atmosphere, remained by her side.
Swallowing her tears once again, Paya approached Una and the warriors.
━ What a powerful warrior’s body.
Tteunteuni, flapping his wings as he looked down at Kanto, spoke.
“T, Tteunteuni can talk?”
“What is this…”
Paya briefly explained the situation to the bewildered warriors.
“Karon? You’re saying that infidel is possessing Tteunteuni’s body right now?”
“Huh.”
The warriors were struggling to accept the unexpected situation, but there was a more critical issue.
━ Priestess Paya, your brother’s soul has already left this Earth. His body is just an empty shell. I will turn him into a zombie and show you a demonstration.
His way of thinking was that any corpse, friend or foe, could be turned into a zombie and controlled. Karon, whose very mindset was different from theirs, was the biggest problem.
━ Traveling to another region with this force is suicide. What if we encounter demons, worshippers, or hostile civilized people? We might be overwhelmed before we can even use Necromancy. Priestess Paya, this is not a choice, but a necessity.
As everyone’s faces grew grim, Karon’s explanation continued.
━ Didn’t you come all this way to this distant and dangerous place for the safety of your tribe? Didn’t you betray the Loa to defeat your enemies? There’s no need to overthink it. This is a step towards creating an immortal army. Once you master Necromancy and can control zombies, I will hand over the reins.
The ‘desecration of death’ that ordinary people thought of was his way of life.
“That’s preposterous!”
It was Una, who had harbored feelings for Kanto and served as his left hand for a long time. Her outrage was natural.
The other warriors also protested vehemently, but Paya only questioned Karon.
“Chieftain Kanto… no. Is it true that Oppa’s soul has left his body?”
━ It is true.
“…”
Paya’s hesitation wasn’t just about ‘surviving the journey back’. More than that, she didn’t want to leave her brother’s body buried in this distant land. She wished for him to be by her side, even if it was just his corpse.
It was like a child’s stubbornness, unable to let go of a deceased family member.
“…Please do it.”
In the end, she had to accept it once again. Thinking it was unavoidable, a necessity, not a choice, as Karon had said.
“P, Priestess! Please reconsider! This is an insult to Chieftain Kanto!”
“…”
Una desperately voiced her opposition, but she couldn’t change Paya’s mind.
“Groan…!”
Finally, Kanto, now a zombie, rose. His eyes glowed with a fierce red light. It was her brother, but not her brother.
But there was no time for complaints. She was the Priestess of the Blue Moss Tribe. She had to return to Symphony for the sake of her tribe.
━ Good. It’s a fine body, as expected. Now, let’s go. Let’s descend to Symphony, leading an army of the undead.
Karon, flapping his wings, took the lead. The zombified Kanto followed with unsteady steps.
▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄
Roar━!
The Gorilla Demon, who had ruled Symphony for years, screamed. The Orangutan Demon and the Chimpanzee Demon each grabbed one of his arms.
They, now zombies, were no longer the Gorilla Demon’s lieutenants. It wasn’t just these two demons. All the lower demons under the Gorilla Demon’s command had become zombies.
He had sent an army to kill the barbarians he had detected with his crude magical creature, the ‘Demon’s Eye’, but they had all returned as zombies.
Crack…!
The Gorilla Demon focused his mind, trying to use coordinate transmission as a last resort, but even that failed.
━ It’s useless, distorted spirit. As long as I have enough mana, your primitive spell can be easily broken.
This was because the giant pigeon, flapping its wings in the air, was using a strange technique to interfere with the coordinate transmission.
Naturally, the pigeon was Karon. He had tried to transfer to the bodies of captured worshippers or demons, but he chose to remain in Tteunteuni’s superior spiritual body.
Thud!
Finally, Zombie Kanto’s ax embedded itself in the demon’s chest.
It was an attack made possible by the removal of physical limitations after becoming a zombie. It was an overwhelming force, strong enough to pierce even the Gorilla Demon’s steel-like skin.
━ Priestess Paya, Symphony is yours now. Make this castle your base and save the Earth!
Karon spoke with a squeaking sound. It would have been cute if Tteunteuni had done it, but coming from Karon, it only looked horrifying.
“…”
Paya watched the dying Gorilla Demon.
Three months. That’s how long it took to descend from Dubenheim to Symphony, learn Necromancy while holed up in a tent, and capture the Gorilla Demon.
“Chieftain Una, thank you for your hard work.”
Paya briefly expressed her gratitude to Una, who was watching the zombie army with fearful eyes alongside the other warriors.
“…Paya-nim.”
Una, who was the strongest after Kanto and Denzo and held the respect of the warriors, had become the chieftain. She had become the leader of all the Blue Moss Tribe warriors, but it didn’t mean much.
The battles were fought by Paya and the zombies controlled by Karon. Una and the warriors just stood idly by, ostensibly protecting Paya.
Una looked at Paya with worried eyes. Paya had become even paler since she learned Necromancy.
The child who used to smile so brightly and was full of emotion had become cold, like a corpse. Or perhaps ‘ruthless’ was a more accurate description. Either way, it was impossible not to worry.
Una had approached Paya several times on her own, urging her to give up Necromancy even now, but Paya refused. She would simply retort, what about her brother who had sacrificed his life to reach the Necromancer’s Tomb?
Paya looked up at the sky. The Demon’s Eye… no, the creature that had become the Zombie’s Eye, which she had sent out for reconnaissance earlier, was approaching.
“Yes, what did you see?”
She shared their minds and read their memories. It was easy to interfere with their minds, as they were artificial life forms with no souls, only following orders.
The Zombie’s Eye showed the image of a female Paladin, hiding in a cave and peeking out with only her eyes, trembling in fear.
She looked very young, perhaps only a year or two older than Paya.
Paya didn’t know it, but the Paladin’s name was Sasaki Noah. A girl who had been attending high school in Japan.
“…A Paladin.”
The hateful beings who had taken her brother’s life. There was no reason not to kill her.
“I found a new body. Let’s go.”
━ A Paladin, you say? Good. I’ve been curious about their true nature. It’s time to find out.
Karon, who had seen Noah through the Zombie’s Eye like Paya, lifted Paya and took flight.
Tteunteuni’s body, which had been growing larger due to Karon’s sinister spell, was now big enough to carry two adult men.
The two Necromancers moved, radiating a sinister aura.
Roar…!
The zombified Gorilla Demon followed behind them.