Published at 9th of September 2025 12:30 pm

Book 5: Chapter 11 Final End [Part 2]

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The zombies too surged forward, their numbers swelling as Vincenzio’s magic fed on the corpses of the dead. The Guildmaster’s men faltered, their discipline cracking as they were forced to fight more of their former comrades. Spears and axes that had once fought beside them now swung with undead strength, their attacks unpredictable and relentless.

“Hold the line!” Canis barked, his voice cutting through the panic. He stepped into the fray, his blade flashing as it carved through another wave of undead.

But for every zombie cut down, a skeleton would arise, given unlife by the Necromancer’s magic. Vincenzio stood at the center of the chaos, his staff glowing with unholy energy as he directed the undead. Skeletal warriors and zombies were a terrifying new element to the fight.

The Necromancer grinned wickedly as he started to weave his magic.

I went with the undead, becoming the hammer, becoming the tip of the spear. The lust for more experience was upon me. The zombies, skeletons, and I jockeyed to gain as much experience as possible. A friendly competition to see who could reap the greater portion of the lives that were on offer.

The Necromancer himself unleashed another wave of bone spears, targeting adventurers who had drawn bows and other projectile weapons in an attempt to pick him off from a distance. Falling back, they scattered for whatever cover there was.

Amid the fray, I crashed into the adventurers with unrelenting force, my weapon rising and falling as I hammered down stubborn nails. The undead, although very durable, were lacking in skill and speed, but they made up for it by being good meat shields.

Across the melee, Canis and I locked eyes.

Grinning wickedly, I used Improved Rush Strike and Improved Shield Bash to carve a path through the chaos. The undead surged into the gap behind me, falling upon the living.

Notifications flooded my vision, but I ignored them. The harvest demanded more.

I struck out with my hammer, a testing blow that Canis narrowly evaded. Casually, he countered with a slashing cut that seemed to pass through my armor, striking directly at my Health. Still, it would not be enough.

"You'll need more than that," I snarled, swinging Bellringer again.

I was finally beginning to enjoy myself.

"You do not know what you do, madman!" spat Canis.

"If I'm mad, as you say," I replied, bashing one of his men in the face with my Mimic shield and sending him flying into his comrades, "then that's nothing more than stating the obvious."

I moved away from Canis, thinking to save the best dish for last. Beating a boss usually involved dealing with their minions first, so I set about gathering experience from the easier prey around me.

Easier prey being, of course, Gold and Silver adventurers. It was almost laughable how quickly I had grown in power. Death, Death, and more Death were the fuel. Dismissing my Mimic shield for a moment as zombies and skeletons swarmed around me, I picked up a small iron shortsword.

Smiling to myself, I activated Inferno Bolt as I threw the shortsword into what remained of the Adventurer's Guild's formation—what little was left of it. The burning sword splashed against them, searing flesh as it burned blazing hot. As expected, their higher-level protective magics gave them resistance to my spells directly, but indirectly, they had no defense against the molten metal.

I burned through five Mana, grabbing whatever was on the ground or in the hands of the undead and hurling them at the adventurers. More died, the scorching heat too much for them, their quaffed healing potions unable to keep up with the raw damage.

More notifications glorified my new tactics—a confirmation of my greatness.

In the end, victory was inevitable. Vincenzio had dealt with the Geomancers and the ranged combatants directly, while his minions and I had mopped up the heavy infantry. All, except for Canis, had now been cut down. He glared at us, defiance still lighting his eyes.

"Any last words, Canis? You do know you really brought this upon yourself..." I asked civilly now that the day was all but won.

"You think me beaten, whelp..." he spat back.

"One does think that looks like the way of it... Kill him now and be done with it. One can question his spirit later, willing or not," advised Vincenzio dryly.

"And you too, corpse-lover..." Canis grinned. "The Goddess has not yet abandoned me..." His hand went to his neck, and he ripped off a necklace.

There was a shift as I sensed something, something familiar, fill the man. He was about to release a great spell or something, and I did not want to see him finish it.

"Have a taste of the First Spell... so simple even I can cast it!" he laughed crazily. "And now... I no longer need to worry about those who have sworn the oath!" he added wryly, mouthing a few lines in a language I did not know.

"Vincenzio!" I cried as I used Rush Strike to close the gap, striking out with my hammer.

Canis parried the blow, a crazed gleam in his eye as more power, the very song of Mana itself, filled him. It was the gaze of a man who had accepted death and was intent on taking down as many as he could with him.

Seconds later, a spear of bone flew at the Guildmaster, but he casually rolled aside, launching a swipe at me, which my Mimic shield blocked.

This man was as stubborn as a mule. Dread came over me as I could almost feel the spell nearing completion. Desperation driving me, I dismissed my Mimic shield, and it disappeared into my body in a flow of vine-like threads. Hooking my hammer, I attempted to grapple Canis.

He took the opportunity to stab me in the gut, his arcane weapon piercing through my armor with its ghostly touch. A full two hundred Health drained from me, and I could taste blood in my mouth.

There was no time to worry about it. Before he could stab me again, I grabbed him with my overwhelming Strength. He tried to struggle, but I was unrelenting.

With titanic effort and unheeding of the precipitous cost to my Stamina, I used Improved Power Strike in both arms simultaneously, launching him at the miniature dome where Zariyah lay trapped.

And Canis simply exploded—a great explosion that tore at the very air and ate at the fabric of reality. A great keening sound of pure magic as the First Spell manifested in the world.

Automatically, my Mimic shield came to my defense, reforming almost instantly in a great tower shield, a single spike stabbing into the ground as the full force of the explosion crashed over me. We held for a few seconds as new waves erupted from where Canis had unleashed the spell. Notifications flashed across my vision, and I ignored them all save for one.

I had gained a level.

Quickly, I spent my attribute points on the only thing that could possibly save me, Constitution. The next wave blew me away with the force of an unleashed god. I crashed against the wall of the dome, trying to fight against the blackness that threatened to overwhelm me before I knew no more.

Just before I unwillingly entered that realm, I thought I heard the taunting laugh of a hateful goddess.

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