Chapter 25

Chapter 25
### Chapter 25

### Mask (3)

“Hmm?”

Deep in focus, Archbishop Latius abruptly raised his gaze and scanned his surroundings. A subtle pulse of energy had just brushed past his senses.

“Is something amiss, Your Eminence?” inquired a guarding knight beside him, his tone laced with caution. The guard clearly hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.

“It is nothing. Keep moving.”

At this moment, Latius was preoccupied with a critical duty: sustaining a massive cloaking spell until their elite strike team could close the distance on the heir of the Immortal King. Additionally, he had to remain ready to block any attempts the target might make to flee via spatial teleportation.

He simply could not let his focus waver. The trap was flawlessly set, and countermeasures for magical escape were already in place. Should their ambush go off without a hitch, their odds of triumph would skyrocket.

—

Despite the incoming reports from my familiars, I was entirely unable to figure out who my adversaries were. That made sense, considering they were completely invisible. The alert condition for spotting a human had triggered solely relying on the primal senses of the beasts.

My foes were definitely human.

> *To conceal a multi-directional advance like this? Suppressing their magical signatures completely to bypass my wards?*

Whoever was out there had meticulously orchestrated this operation to trap me.

> *Could it be the Brokolak? Or perhaps the Oath of Reversal? How in the world did they track me down?*

I needed to assess the battlefield immediately. While I had the option to vanish via reverse summoning whenever I wanted, simply running away wouldn’t resolve the underlying issue.

> *I have to uncover their identities and their tracking methods. Figuring out the root cause is the only way to safeguard myself in the future.*

I had lucked out by sensing them early this time, but getting interrupted at a critical juncture later on could lead to a disastrous outcome.

> *I should stall for time while I brace myself and collect intel on these attackers.*

I swiftly retreated into the cavern. Though it lacked significant depth, having my back to a wall was vastly preferable to suffering an ambush from every angle.

Only a short breath later.

*Crack—*

Every single protective ward I had erected shattered simultaneously. In that exact second, the overwhelming presence of enemies dropping their cloaking spells crashed over me.

> *Wait, what kind of aura is this?*

It was a stinging, overwhelming pressure. A direct antithesis to the dark magic flowing through Hans.

> *This isn’t the work of vampires or dark sorcerers. Is it… holy power?*

*Clatter, clatter.*

Before I could process the shock, warriors wrapped in pristine white armor marched into the cavern.

“We finally cornered you. Hans, heir to the Immortal King! Your run ends here!” roared the veteran knight leading the vanguard, leveling his blade straight at my chest.

> *That crest… the Sacred Order? Are these the Church’s holy knights?*

I recognized the insignia instantly; it was something Heinz II had been taught to fear during his clan upbringing. He had been warned to be extremely wary of the Sacred Order and their divine abilities.

The sheer radiance radiating from that lead Paladin easily rivaled the oppressive aura of the NobleBlood vampire I had recently battled. Given the natural disadvantage my dark affinities had against theirs, these zealots were going to be incredibly dangerous.

[Hounds of the Church. Tell me, how did you track me down?]

From their initial outburst alone, I had already deduced crucial details. The religious faction had clearly been hunting me relentlessly to seize the dark inheritance I received from the Immortal King. They had dug deep enough into my background to uncover my actual name.

I had to drag this conversation out to piece together more of their plan.

“The Divine’s sight pierces all wickedness!”

The Paladin, clearly lacking any desire for a chat, unsheathed his weapon and launched himself at me.

> *I suppose this is my chance to gather some practical field data on battling holy power.*

—

*Boom!*

Amidst a deafening blast, Arch-Lich Hans erupted from the collapsing mountain of rubble. Hot on his heels came the Paladin, practically glowing with aggressive divine energy, swinging wildly.

The sheer potency of their holy attribute was far stronger than I had calculated.

> *Damn it, he won’t give me an inch of breathing room!*

The cavern was tearing itself apart from the shockwaves of our clash, yet the holy warrior refused to back off. Outside, the knights who had tactically retreated were already forming a tight perimeter. Past their lines, throngs of infantry and clerics bearing the crest of the Sacred Order were tightening the noose.

Hymns began to resonate from every corner of the battlefield, while the brilliant illumination they cast began to scorch away the protective dark magic clinging to my form. Boosted by an array of blessings, the armored troops radiated blinding light, suffocating me with their unified assault.

Ripples of pure luminescence painted the terrain. The sheer volume of concentrated holy power, all aligned toward a single, unified purpose, was genuinely majestic to witness.

It just would have been a lot more enjoyable if their unified purpose wasn’t erasing me from existence.

> *They really pulled out all the stops for this. What could I have possibly done to warrant an execution squad of this scale?*

Up until this point, Hans had exclusively targeted and judged the wicked. I was only carrying out necessary justice, yet I was being hunted like a monster. When I voiced this exact defense to my attackers, their rebuttal was unwavering.

“No mortal vessel can house the might of the Immortal King without consequence. The very second you take that power into yourself, it infects your mind and rots your soul! Ultimately, it will drag this entire continent into ruin!”

The man’s shout was overflowing with absolute, unshakeable faith.

“Vile sorcerer, tainted by forbidden arts! If even a shred of your humanity remains, lay down your arms and submit to our cleansing light! I swear you shall be granted a quiet oblivion!”

Thinking back to the overwhelming sensation of absorbing that artifact’s fragment, I could honestly see where their paranoia was coming from. Still, there was absolutely no way to convince them that my mind remained perfectly intact.

[Well, there’s no reasoning with you. I suppose I’ll take my leave.]

My physical vessel was beginning to groan under the strain. A massive reserve of dark magic was pumping steadily from my core, but my current proficiency wasn’t refined enough to perfectly block their holy onslaught. Because this immense strength had fallen into my lap so recently, I desperately needed practice to wield it properly.

> *Even so, if I unleashed everything, I could definitely tear through their ranks…*

My hand was far from empty. I could easily call upon an army of the dead to act as a meat shield, bogging down the clerics and infantry maintaining this massive divine seal. Relying on my “Immortality” trait and my endlessly regenerating mana, I could likely outlast their siege.

> *No, it’s smarter to just walk away. Burning through my resources for a pointless brawl is foolish.*

Beyond the tactical disadvantage, I felt a lingering guilt because the Church weren’t inherently evil. We were crossing blades over a severe ideological misunderstanding; these troops were merely acting on what they believed to be righteous convictions. Since my personal code dictated that I only strike down genuine scum, slaughtering these faithful soldiers indiscriminately left a bad taste in my mouth.

Besides, massacring this battalion would only provoke the Sacred Order into hunting me with tenfold the ferocity. They were, without a doubt, one of the supreme factions governing the continent. Prolonging this battle held zero strategic value.

I had tested the waters against holy power and identified the gaps in my current abilities. That was victory enough for today.

“Did you honestly think we’d let you flee?”

*Fwoosh—*

Did they read my mind? A beam of radiant energy erupted from one flank, chaining itself across the soldiers making up the barricade until the entire zone was bathed in light.

> *What manner of divine magic is this?*

It didn’t feel like a binding curse meant to suppress my physical might. There was an uncomfortable hum to it, but nothing I couldn’t brush off.

[Ah, I understand… you’re warping and scrambling the space. A ward designed specifically to shut down my escape routes. You’ve been hovering on the sidelines this whole time, weaving this trap.]

I had sensed a secondary entity earlier whose magical pressure rivaled that of the vanguard Paladin. All throughout the skirmish, this hidden figure had been waiting for the exact moment I tried to slip away.

Seizing a brief pause in the action, I analyzed the battlefield. Elite holy knights held the inner circle. Clerics and footmen maintained the outer perimeter.

> *It’s an impressive net. Had I not been using the Avatar, slipping through this would have been nearly impossible.*

The sheer faith of their followers drastically amplified the Church’s holy abilities. Furthermore, it appeared they possessed some technique for locking onto a target’s mana signature.

> *They’re going to be a thorn in my side for the foreseeable future… I have to formulate a countermeasure.*

Both Hans and Heinz II were currently marked for execution by their inquisitors. I needed a long-term strategy. But in the immediate present…

[You certainly pulled out all the stops for my sake.]

“Are you finally prepared to embrace the cleansing light?”

[Not a chance.]

I gave a dismissive shrug. In response, the surrounding troops stiffened, gripping their armaments tighter.

[It’s clear that our philosophies are too opposed for any meaningful conversation. And swinging our swords at each other any longer is a waste of my time.]

“…”

They glared at me, silent, waiting for my next move. Dropping my serious demeanor, I offered them a playful parting remark.

[Hehehe, this is where we part ways. Hunt me down if you’re capable, lapdogs of the Sacred Order.]

“Ha! You’re a fool if you think you can pierce this barrier…”

I didn’t stick around to hear the rest of his boast.

> *Cancel Summoning.*

I had already harvested all the necessary data.

—

“Damn, this is getting complicated. The list of people who want me dead keeps growing.”

I was already dealing with the Oath of Reversal and the Brokolak vampire clan. But the Church was on an entirely different level—they were a dominant geopolitical force. While they weren’t known for violently converting non-believers or crushing minor cults, their global network of sanctuaries effectively made them the undisputed, primary religion of the land. Their congregation numbers dwarfed every other faith combined.

“I guess that explains why my karma gains have been so lucrative lately…”

The pieces were clicking into place. Without meaning to, I had painted a continent-sized target on my back. I massaged my temples, then shook my head.

“I’ll strategize about the zealots later. I have a much more pressing project at hand.”

A pool of inky shadows expanded across the ground, and Hans glided seamlessly out of the abyss.

[Hehehe… it is finally time to unveil the fruits of my recent labor.]

At last, I could deploy the fully realized prototype of my spell: **Infectious Necromancy Final Version_Modification_2nd_FINAL(3)_ReallyFinal**.

> *Also, incorporating the combat data I just acquired into my stealth arrays should effectively mask Hans’s magical signature from now on.*

All things considered, it had been a highly productive outing.

—

Prowling the urban streets, Hans systematically injected the Infectious Necromancy into any stray animals that crossed his path. Once the contagion spread and multiplied the swarm, I would need to step in occasionally to fine-tune their behavior.

I was deep into this routine when my network pinged.

*Zzzzt—*

A transmission flared in my mind from miles away, relayed by an infected alley cat.

[“P-please! Can anyone hear me?! Help!”]

It was the panicked shriek of a woman. Without a second thought, I warped directly into the shadows occupying the cat’s location.

“Hehehe, keep screaming. Who knows, maybe a hero will show up?”

“Why is no one answering?! Help me! S-someone call the police!”

“Ahhh~ There is nothing quite like the music of pure despair.”

The tableau unfolding before me belonged in a slasher flick: a woman backing away on the pavement of a deserted park, while a deranged man loomed over her, gripping a hunting knife in one hand and an audio recorder in the other.

“Perfect. The audio is crisp. This tape is definitely going straight into my top three.”

“Somebody, please! Ahhh!”

“Hehehe, let it all out. Not a single soul beyond this park can hear a whisper.”

The maniac took slow, deliberate steps toward his hysterical victim. I had warped in mere seconds before a slaughter.

> *He isn’t bluffing. There’s an unusual bounded field erected here. Is this psycho an ability user?*

A distinct energy shrouded the perimeter around the killer. It didn’t just dampen noise; it operated as a visual ward, subtly manipulating the minds of nearby pedestrians to avoid the area entirely. My feline scout had clearly been trapped inside the boundary before he cast it, sparing it from the psychological repel effect.

> *A highly useful power. Given his dialogue, though, this is far from his first rodeo.*

I had seen all I needed to see. Stepping out of the darkness, I materialized right at the murderer’s back.

“Ahhh… h-huh? W-what… where did you—”

The victim finally noticed me standing there and abruptly stopped shrieking, completely paralyzed by fear.

> *I attempted to mask my sinister aura, but…*

My current form was simply too terrifying for a civilian to handle. With a simple wave of my hand, I cast a sleep spell, dropping her safely into unconsciousness.

“What the hell?! Who are you? How did you bypass my wall?”

The serial killer whipped around, realizing my presence far too late. He raised his blade defensively but froze the moment he got a look at me.

Without a word, I extended my arm and channeled my mana.

*Swish—*

Tendrils of pitch-black darkness shot up from the pavement, binding his limbs securely and gagging him before he could cry out.

“Mmph! Mmmph—!”

[Before I pass judgment, I will perform one final verification. You do not need to speak. I will extract the truth directly.]

I gripped the struggling man’s skull with my gauntleted hand and invoked my authority over souls: the **Requiem of the Dead**.

[“Please don’t… urgh!”]
[“Oh god… mister, I’m begging…”]
[“Aaah—!”]

The desperate, dying pleas of his past victims flooded into my mind. There were many of them. I had only peeked into his soul to ensure this wasn’t some elaborate prank or hidden camera show. The horrifying echoes proved he was the real deal.

[The verdict is absolute. You are condemned to die.]

A sadist who murdered for sport had forfeited any right to clemency.

“Mmph! Gurgh!”

He thrashed violently against his shadowy restraints. Even now, his eyes burned with arrogant malice as he stared me down. I could almost hear his thoughts—*What gives you the right to judge me?*

> *I couldn’t care less.*

I forcefully injected concentrated dark magic directly into his cranium.

“Guh… Gaaakk!”

His defiant glare instantly rolled into the back of his head. Violent tremors wracked his frame as blood began to seep from his pores. Froth bubbled at his lips, sliding down past the dark tendrils sealing his mouth.

> *Granting a monster like this a painless exit is far too generous. I require a capable undead servant to operate here on Earth, and you’ve just volunteered.*

As my necromancy saturated his flesh on a cellular level, his violent spasms slowed, leaving him limp. His own blood had already painted the concrete beneath him.

[Awaken. You will exist as my slave, enduring this torment until the end of time.]

The dark spell took root in the corpse, causing the dead killer to jerk unnaturally as animation returned to his limbs.

*Twitch, snap…*

[Kikiki…]

A chilling, hollow giggle escaped his throat. His facial features were twisted in perpetual agony, his skin was the color of ash, and fresh blood continually wept from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

According to the archives within my **Forbidden Knowledge**, this specific transformation had yielded an elite tier of undead: a **Ghast**.

I hadn’t expected the ritual to manifest this specific creature, considering a Ghast typically required a potent sacrifice and an exceptionally brutal creation process…

[This suits your penance perfectly. You’ll make an excellent tool.]

As an eternal servant, his newfound strength would be highly beneficial. I dismissed the newly minted Ghast into my dimensional storage and turned my attention back to the unconscious woman.

> *I should probably wrap up the loose ends here.*

A cell phone, likely knocked from her hand during the initial assault, lay abandoned on the grass. I scooped it up, punched in 911, and left it resting near the killer’s dropped recording device and knife.

Pausing to think, I manipulated a tendril of dark magic to finger-paint a message using the murderer’s spilled blood.

**- Execution completed.**

Next to the text, I sketched a crude, smiling **Harlequin** face.

> *Since I’m confiscating the body, it’s only polite to let the authorities know. Having the police squander their time hunting a ghost would just be a nuisance.*

Satisfied with my work, I dissolved back into the surrounding darkness. Once I heard the wail of police sirens approaching the park, I slipped away into the night.