Chapter 130

Chapter 130
## Chapter 130

The entrance to the Beltus mansion, surrounded by a massive wrought-iron wall that followed the line of the hill, was an imposing sight.

But the smoke and magic emanating from within made it difficult to distinguish anything.

Dereck pulled the reins and entered the Beltus mansion at full speed, where not even a gatekeeper remained.

He passed through the large entrance at the southeast end and crossed the southern garden.

Rodelia’s soldiers followed him, and they all clicked their tongues at the sight of what was happening: the surroundings were infested with monsters.

“Lord Dereck, it is well that we have entered, but from now on we must move in organized formation!”

Countess Rodelia, unsheathing her holy sword, shouted from his side.

“The servants inside the mansion are all of low rank! We must rescue them while locating Grand Duke Beltus!”

“He is most likely in the main building’s office! However…”

Just as Dereck, crossing the vast garden, shouted…

*Zas!*

A huge halo of light began to rise over the Beltus mansion.

The fire giant, completely subdued and causing fires without any further purpose, disappeared.

And then, an immense magic circle began to unfold in the sky, centered around the eastern tower.

The eastern tower: the place where all magic research facilities were concentrated.

The remnants of the protective magic that had been active began to isolate the main building, preparing to bombard the enemies within.

It was a defensive circle created by high-ranking transformation mages after years of research.

The person who had the authority to activate it was Robenalt, the eldest son of Duke Beltus, who had prepared it to perfection from the eastern tower.

The magic circle, which protected the main building and unleashed high-level bombardment spells, became practically impenetrable once activated.

“We have to neutralize the magic circle in the east tower and also deal with the mercenary group in the west barracks.”

“The mansion is full of monsters, so the defensive forces won’t be able to respond in an organized way! We must take advantage of the chaos reigning inside the mansion!”

Countess Rodelia brandished her holy sword. With a red flash, the nearby monsters fell one after another.

As a noble, she understood magic well, but she preferred to throw herself directly into the battlefield and wield the sword with her own hands.

A light radiated from her white armor as trolls and goblins, turned into corpses, formed an army to block her path.

She had already killed thousands of those creatures on Rodentz Island.

The soldiers following her were also veterans who had fought alongside her in countless battlefields.

*Clang!*

Their coordinated movements were impeccable.

Dereck also followed them on horseback, firing magic arrows. While clearing the path, he shouted to the Countess.

“Don’t exhaust all your strength! There are still many enemies left!”

“With so many traces of necromantic magic here, it’s impossible to hold back! Let’s go to the east tower and the west barracks first!”

“There will be… those who help us.”

“What?”

Dereck tightened the reins once more and spoke with a more serious expression.

Dereck’s allies were not limited to Countess Rodelia.

Although he didn’t know it yet, he was already one of the most protected people in the entire southwest of the continent.

***

*Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!*

The outer wall of the isolation chamber was destroyed. No, more than destroyed, it disappeared without a trace.

Through the huge hole in the wall, one could see how the entire Beltus mansion grounds had turned into chaos.

Everywhere you looked, there were monsters.

The soldiers from the barracks had begun to head out to eliminate the creatures inside, but it would take a long time to finish them off completely.

A large fire had broken out in the southern garden, but there was no one to control it.

At least the eldest son, Robenalt, seemed to remain calm in the eastern tower; the magic was building the protective circle.

Once the operation was completed, the immediate threat could be contained.

“What a show!”

The monster that had subdued and extinguished the fire giant, which seemed capable of burning the entire world, walked lightly toward Grand Duke Beltus, looking at him with disdain.

The exhausted Grand Duke Beltus was kneeling on one knee, clenching his teeth while leaning on his cane.

Just as Fina was about to say something, Grand Duke Beltus waved his hand, invoking four-star summoning magic.

Earth spirits, clad in crude armor, raised their swords, but they all froze the moment they stood before Fina.

*Zas!*

From the bony skull of Happy, the Arch Lich that Fina had raised with care, a bluish magical power began to sprout.

Blue flames burned in its empty sockets.

Three-star combat magic, Paralysis.

The fact that a summoned creature could use magic in such a way was absurd.

Fina smiled seductively, raised her pale hand to brush her cheek, and then quickly brushed aside her bangs.

Under her white and flawless forehead, her eyes glowed with ferocity.

It wasn’t her usual piercing gaze, but eyes wide open. And the magic they contained exploded.

That alone was enough to make Grand Duke Beltus’s entire body stand on end.

Necromantic magic—the purest and most refined—is the power closest to death.

Magic beyond four stars, five stars.

The purity of the power emanating from Fina surpassed even what she had used to summon the Archlich.

Five-star magic bordering on the level of six stars.

No, it had already gone beyond that.

It was a power worthy of preparation for six-star magic.

The dream of every mage before dying: to witness six-star magic.

“T-this…”

Kalimford’s six-star magic made meteors fall.

Melverot froze entire mountain ranges.

Six-star magics redrew maps, unleashed cataclysms, and could set the world on fire.

What, then, is six-star necromantic magic?

To cover the world with vengeful spirits, to pile up corpses like mountains, to reduce mansions to ashes with crimson flames: all of that is possible.

But the six-star magic that Fina was about to use was different.

It was not grand or ostentatious.

It was the culmination of someone who had dedicated their entire life to a single study, repeated to the extreme.

Simple. Precise. Terrible.

Just by Fina closing her eyes, time seemed to stop.

The result of that power was not burning mountains or displaced continents.

It was something much colder.

Death.

The only thing a necromancer studies throughout their entire life is that.

Thus, the pinnacle of necromancy—six-star magic—is…

“Instant death.”

She only had to close her eyes once, and all the lives she perceived fell into her hands.

She only had to squeeze.

With a single breath, she led them to eternal rest.

No one could resist, except someone of her same level.

*Snap! Zas!*

All the creatures summoned by Grand Duke Beltus collapsed and disappeared the instant Fina closed her eyes.

The spirits shattered.

The monsters fell, with blood spurting from their seven orifices.

In less than a second, the entire chamber was soaked in red.

The only survivor was Grand Duke Beltus.

Fina had not killed him. Not yet.

She had a purpose.

“……”

Grand Duke Beltus even forgot to breathe.

On his knees, leaning on his cane, he had already lost the will to resist.

And as he looked at Fina smiling, soaked in blood, only one thought crossed his mind: a way out.

He couldn’t beat her by force. He needed another method.

Then he spoke, his eyes wide open.

“If you need corpses… I can provide them for you.”

“Oh?”

Even in that situation, he kept thinking.

Although his pupils trembled, he sought a way to persuade her.

“You said you hide your identity and study death, right? In… in the Beltus family there are many lives that can be sacrificed… If you use me… you can research as much as you want without revealing your identity…”

“Really?”

“I can also provide corpses of high-ranking mages… among my vassals there are some… and they don’t suspect me… If you want bodies with noble blood, I have my children… and the collateral family… there are many…”

“It sounds convenient not to kill you, just hearing that. Hehe.”

Fina stepped forward gracefully and placed her hands on the Grand Duke’s bloodied shoulders, whispering in his ear.

“But tell me… do you really think you are a variable I can control?”

The Duke’s eyes widened even more.

The nails digging into his shoulders gave him the sensation of being a predator’s fangs.

“Hehe. Even the great lord of Beltus fears death. If you have ascended by trampling on others… never forget that you too can be trampled.”

“…”

“If you want to live… I will let you live. But not for free.”

“W-what… what do you want…?”

“Of course I want something. And it won’t go badly for you… The rabble of Rodentz would give anything to receive my baptism. They will die of envy for you.”

As she spoke, the hand holding him began to emit dark red magic.

Although she had said she wouldn’t kill him, Fina’s magic always gave off a thick aura of death.

The Duke, clenching his teeth and looking at Fina, looked like a defeated demon.

Because demons grant wishes, but never in the way one wants.

From above, one could see the chaos reigning in the Beltus territory.

Unknown necromantic magic covered everything; corpses and monsters emerged incessantly.

And in the midst of that chaos, the girl looked at the Duke, covered in blood.

Soon, the mark that Fina had engraved between the wounds caused by her nails began to glow.

If you intend to trample on someone, you must accept that you too can be trampled.

The one whom Beltus tried to trample was the favorite disciple of a six-star necromancer.

It was said that there was not a single six-star mage who was “normal.”

Even if the young Trisha had asked him, Dereck had plenty of reasons for not wanting her to get involved.

“From today on, you are a necromancer.”

Fina’s method of “shaping” disciples was something that no other master could even imagine.