REAPER SCANS
Necromancer Academy's Genius Summoner
[Translator - Ramen]
[Proofreader - Artethrax]
Chapter 360
Back at the bottom of the glass tower.
Simon and his party were running frantically up the stairs.
Prioritizing speed above all else, they weren't just using the stairs, either. Kajaan hopped onto a railing and then jumped up to the next story, while Serene lifted herself up with the support of her feathers.
They should've arrived quickly, running like this, but…
[Guooooooh!]
[Gooooooooooh!]
Zombies on all fours swarmed in from each floor like the souls of the damned trying to drag the living down with them.
[Move!]
As Prince's eyes flashed green, the eyes of some zombies coming down from the ceiling turned the same color as his.
Simon immediately raised his left hand—the one not wielding his greatsword—and clenched his fist.
'Corpse Explosion!'
A series of explosions rang out, leaving only blood and guts behind.
Serene elegantly opened an umbrella from who-knows-where, shielding herself from the grotesque bursts.
"You almost dirtied me."
'…How relaxed.'
Serene was casually sailing up in the air with her umbrella, a few feathers attached to her back. It looked so effortless that it was almost like she changed her weight.
"Serene! Do you remember which floor we are on now?"
Asked Simon as he swung the Greatsword of Destruction. Three charging zombies were split in half simultaneously.
"We're on the 15th."
Answering instead of Serene, Kajann moved like a beast, his claw-like fingers touching the stairs more often than his feet. Incidentally, zombies were torn to ribbons like sheets of paper.
"And Sasha's ward was on the 37th floor."
"We haven't even come halfway yet? Hurry up~"
As Serene gestured, feathers flew like guided arrows and embedded themselves into zombies' heads. The remaining force was enough to blast the corpses through the glass walls leading outside.
[Fwaaah! Hidden ace punch!!]
When Prince thrust his fist, a powerful shockwave spread out, blowing away descending zombies.
[Hey! This is strange no matter how much I think about it!]
Said Prince as he lowered his fist.
[Zombies are continuously pouring down from above!]
Kajann nodded.
"It seems someone is transferring external zombies into the building with something like a portal."
Simon's face became serious. He didn't know who was hindering them, but someone didn't want them to go up.
"We need to go faster."
Flutter!
His shapeless cloak flapping behind him, Simon stepped on the railing with one foot.
"Everyone, double time!"
[Double this? That's ridiculous!]
"Did you know, Prince…?"
Simon turned to look at Prince.
He raised his right hand, swept back his sweaty bangs with as much coolness as he could muster, and smiled brightly. The sweat droplets sparkled in the light.
"Heroes naturally become stronger as they face trials."
[!!!]
Prince's eyes became so wide it was as if they'd pop out any moment.
His whole body trembled with excitement as if he had never imagined such a thing.
[What you said…]
Prince clenched his fists and stomped on the railing.
[…was so cool!!]
Then, he suddenly charged across the railing at the zombies by himself.
[Hero!]
Prince's right fist, wrapped with jet-black, created a shockwave that blew away a mass of zombies coming down.
[Trial!]
His left hand followed, again creating a loud roar that ripped through the zombies.
[I will get stronger!]
Seeing Prince running at full power on the railing and smashing all the zombies, Serene tilted her head.
"What's wrong with that kid?"
Simon cleared his throat, his cheeks burning red from second-hand embarrassment.
"…Actually, Prince loves those kinds of ideals."
Thanks to Prince, the remaining three were able to handle the remnants comfortably as they went up the circular stairs.
With a look of exhilaration, Prince shouted,
[Simon! You were right!]
Then, inspired by Simon's stance earlier, he swept his bangs back with his right hand before mysteriously covering everything but his glowing eyes with his hands.
[It really feels like I'm getting stronger as I face trials!]
Serene cooed,
"Wow~ You're really, really cool, o' sir hero!"
Hearing that, Prince's face turned red. With a snort, he shouted, "Leave it to me!" and swept away more zombies coming down.
"Is that how you do it?"
Said Serene, looking entirely unimpressed as she lowered her hand. Simon made a bitter smile.
"…Y-You're pretty good."
"It seems true that Ancient Undeads are the most mysterious beings in the world."
Thanks to Prince's great effort and key actions, they reached the 30th floor without any hassle.
However, the stairs ended here. To go up to the next floor, they had to get to another staircase.
[Pant! Gasp! Pant!]
Prince was lying on the floor, wheezing with every breath.
"Are you alright?"
"You were so cool! Hero!"
Simon and Serene were cheering him on eagerly. Prince, breathless, glared at them.
[You guys weren't just talking nicely to me to use me, were you?]
"Hey, of course not~"
Serene gave a foxy smile.
"More people should've seen your heroic side, Prince~"
[…]
As Prince didn't drop his suspicious look, she folded her hands together and mourned,
"But I guess it can't be helped. Because a hero must continue to fight villains in silence even if the citizens don't acknowledge it."
[!!]
As if a switch had been flicked, Prince jumped up.
[Mhm, mhm! That sounds so cool! Yes! I'll fight hard even if no one acknowledges me!]
Serene turned to Simon and winked.
'…She seems to handle Prince better than I do.'
"Be quiet."
Meanwhile, Kajann was sliding his palm along the wall as he walked.
Then, he stopped and rapped the wall with his fist. An illusion melted away, revealing a large magic circle within it.
"As expected. It's a magic circle that draws zombies from outside into the building."
Kajann gathered jet-black in his fist and slammed it down against the wall, shattering the glass and the circle drawn on it.
"This should stop the supply of zombies. Let's move."
"Yeah!"
The four of them got back to running. The 30th floor was the passage separating the lower and upper floors.
From the 31st floor onward, all sorts of knowledge and confidential materials were stored. There was normally a full verification process for entering, as it was a restricted area for the public.
"This way."
As though familiar with the area, Kajann guided the others as they ran, and they soon arrived at Kajaan's target destination.
The first thing they noticed when they arrived was the fresh warmness of the air. Then, as they rounded a corner, they saw trees and grass growing inside the building like a rainforest. Inside this cavernous room, the following floors could be seen.
'The 37th floor…'
Simon quickly counted the floors with his fingers. Sasha's ward was the seventh one up from here.
Just then,
[Welcome, Seventh Legion and students of Kizen.]
The four of them stopped simultaneously and looked around.
"Be careful! This is—!"
Before Kajann could finish his sentence, something white hit him and, with a bang, he was sent flying.
"Kajann!!"
[Guoooooh!]
A white zombie.
Its skin was unnaturally pale, muscles rippled across its body, and it stood at over two meters tall. It had five eyes on its face.
He could tell it was a necromancer's zombie, but it felt completely different from ordinary zombies.
[Can you feel it, Boy?!]
Pier, focused on the battle, broke Simon's inner silence.
[That's a conscripted zombie.]
"What?"
This time, another white zombie charged in and attacked Serene. She pulled out a feather and conjured a jet-black barrier, but was pushed back.
"Oh my."
Serene blinked in surprise.
[Who are you?! Reveal yourself!!]
Shouted Prince.
Step. Step. Step.
On the third floor up, a figure appeared. The moment it came into view, strong hostility came from Pier's connected thoughts.
[So it was that bastard!]
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Ramen
Proofreader - Artethrax
Join our discord for updates on releases!
* * *
'Pier, do you know who that is?'
[He's an Ancient Undead of the Magnus Legion: the zombie butler.]
Ignoring his pale skin, the zombie butler looked almost like an ordinary human. He wore a standard butler's outfit and a monocle.
However, the immense volume of jet-black that emanated from it…
That alone seemed to prove he was an Ancient Undead.
[Nice to meet you.]
He bowed politely.
However, Simon's expression hardened.
"Are you the cause behind all this?"
[As you can see, yes.]
The zombie butler straightened up and continued,
[My Legion's Commander wishes to speak with you, Commander of the Seventh Legion. Would you care to accompany me?]
[Cut your…]
Before Simon could say anything, Prince sprinted toward the zombie butler.
[…bullshit!!]
Prince's punch, accompanied by a huge shockwave, was aimed at the butler's throat.
Tap.
However, with measured calmness, the zombie butler simply caught Prince's punch.
[Ah!]
[So you're also an Ancient Undead born of a zombie.]
This time, the zombie butler's left hand thrust out.
Psssssshhhhhhk!
His hand pierced through Prince's chest, bursting out the back. Prince coughed up blood.
[Kuhugh!]
"Prince!"
Simon screamed in shock. Prince's body, which had deflected swords and arrows, was now easily punctured.
[Don't tell me, is this all? I'm a little confused.]
Then, a black aura rose from Prince's body like a soul escaping, leaving behind a regular zombie.
[Hmm?]
Swish!
This time, a new zombie Simon had sent flying with the Overlord was shooting forward like a bullet.
Crrrrrrrrack!
As it arrived, black lightning struck the zombie.
[Kill me as many times as you want!]
The zombie transformed back into the appearance of Prince and threw a punch.
[I'll keep reviving until I can beat you to a pulp!]
Thud!
The zombie butler hurriedly raised his elbow to block the attack.
[A resurrection ability? Impressive.]
[Shut your mouth!]
Prince twisted at the waist and kicked him, but even that was easily blocked by the zombie butler.
[Give back Akemus!!]
[Akemus?]
[He was supposed to be part of our Legion!]
[Aha.]
The zombie butler stepped back with a smile.
[You're talking about the former Seventh Legion's Ancient Undead. Sorry, but that is impossible. He is now part of the Fifth Legion.]
Having said that, the zombie butler sighed.
[His loyalty to a disbanded Legion is so strong that he doesn't listen at all.]
[What have you done to Akemus?!!]
[We imprisoned him and now he is being tortured until he pledges loyalty to Sir Magnus.]
Hearing that, fiery rage consumed Prince's green eyes. He shouted with rage as he charged forward.
However…
[Your opponent isn't me.]
Snap!
The zombie butler snapped his fingers, and a white zombie suddenly came out from the ground and punched Prince.
Slam!
Prince flew dozens of meters until…
Crash!
He smashed into a nearby fountain. However, his eyes gleamed through the darkness of the debris.
[This is nothing!]
Prince tried to use the crown's power to take control of the white zombie.
However…
[I-It doesn't work?]
[I see you have an ability to control zombies as well. But it is useless to try it on these.]
The zombie butler smiled.
[The white onis are elite soldiers I created that only listen to my orders.]
Those white zombies were indeed strong. Kajann and another white zombie were fighting almost evenly, and even Serene was being held back by one of them.
[Pardon the wait, Commander of the Seventh Legion.]
The zombie butler now looked at Simon again
[I propose this again. Please come to meet our Commander.]
"I refuse."
Spat out Simon.
"Unless I've lost my mind, I have no reason to face that monster."
[What a shame.]
He snapped his fingers again.
[I regret having to use these measures. However…]
"…!"
Simon's eyes widened. Someone was approaching in the dark hallway.
A necromancer in a Crow robe. And beside him was an unconscious girl, bound in a jet-black rope and floating.
"Sasha!"
[The girl you risked your life to save in the neutral area. If you want to save her life…]
The zombie butler reached his hand out.
[Throw down your weapon and come over here.]
Simon bit his lip until it bled.
"Wait! Simon!"
Shouted Serene while fighting her white zombie.
"Get a hang of yourself! Don't tell me you're going off on your own just to save a kid like that, right?"
[Of course…]
The zombie butler snapped his fingers for the third time.
Step.
Step step.
Step step step.
White zombies appeared on every floor. There were more than twenty of them.
Prince's and Kajann's faces stiffened as they stepped back.
[Even if you give up the girl and fight, you have no chance of winning. In addition to the zombies, we have an active Crow on our side as well.]
The man in the robe, Evangelos, grinned to confirm what was said.
[Because of the barrier position around the Glass Tower, you cannot seek help from outside either. Now, this is my final proposal. Throw down your weapon and come here.]
"…"
Simon closed his eyes, taking time to seriously think.
Then, after a long moment of deliberation, Simon opened his eyes.
Clang!
He dropped the Greatsword of Destruction to the ground.
"Alright. Got it."
[Boy!]
When Simon released his mental link with Pier, Pier's Bone Armor attached to his body disassembled and fell to the ground.
"Simon! Think rationally!"
Shouted Kajann as he blocked a white zombie's attack. However, Simon simply pressed his lips together until they formed a thin white line and strode toward the zombie butler.
[Excellent. It is good to see you speak the same language.]
The zombie butler smiled.
[Hey, you dumbass!!]
Shouted Prince before charging at Simon, but he was intercepted and sent flying by a white zombie's punch.
[If you come, I guarantee that everyone's lives shall be spared. Now, come here.]
The distance between Simon and the zombie butler grew smaller, and with every step Simon took, the butler's smile widened.
[Yes. More, just a little more…!]
"By the way."
As he approached the zombie butler, Simon gave a faint smile.
"Don't you think this is too easy?"
Crack!
In an instant, the zombie butler felt his breath stop. An enormous pressure was suddenly felt on his neck.
[!]
Before he knew it, his neck had been tightly bound by something like a dark blue string.
No, it wasn't just his neck. His entire body was wrapped in the string.
[Ahh~]
The zombie butler felt a chill run down his spine.
Grinning like a devil, Evangelos had bound him with a black string.
[D-Don't tell me, did you betray me?! Answer me, Evangelos!!]
[Betray?]
A distorted, modified voice was heard from Evangelos' mouth.
[From the beginning, I…]
Crack.
Half of Evangelos' face crumbled down.
Underneath was the face of a woman.
[…was never on your side, though?]
The zombie butler's face turned extremely grim.
'…This was a trap!'
It wasn't Evangelos. The presence of the creature was unmistakably that of an Ancient Undead.
[Nice one, Elizabeth!!]
Cheered Prince.
The zombie butler hastily tried to whir up jet-black around his body to escape, but…
Pow!
Simon launched off the ground at terrifying speed.
Pier's Bone Armor, which had been lying on the ground, flew to Simon, attaching to him. The Greatsword of Destruction was back in his hand, too.
And then…
Pssssshhhhhk!
The Greatsword of Destruction, which prevented healing, pierced through the zombie butler's stomach.
[G-Guaaaaaaaaaaaaah!]
As the butler screamed in agony, Simon turned around.
"You can stop the act now."
In an instant…
Thud!
Slaaaaaash!
With his elbow, Kajann crushed the face of the white zombie he was struggling against. Serene also slashed her white zombie's neck with her feather sword.
[…Impossible!]
The zombie butler trembled with pain and groaned,
[Since when did you know!]
"Not that long. But more importantly…"
Simon began examining the array of magic circles drawn on the zombie butler.
The butler struggled, but with a flick of Elizabeth's finger, the webs tightened around him, making it impossible to move.
"I found it."
Simon carefully cut around half of a magic circle with his sword, grabbed the bit of flesh, and pulled it hard to the side.
Streeeeeetch!
The zombie butler screamed, and a distinctly human eye popped out from the forcibly stretched magic circle.
"You're watching, aren't you, Magnus?"
Said Simon with a sadistic smile.
"Let's do a hostage exchange. If you want to save this bastard…"
This was Simon's plan from the beginning.
"Bring me Akemus."
——
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