I, Necromancer Chapter 25 (Patreon)

Nearly six centuries.

Sirzechs last, real battle was nearly six centuries ago. A modified Devil with their Clan Trait out of control, and later on called a 'Fly Chimera'.

Powerful beyond measure, laying waste to two battlefields, and with a poison so potent it claimed the lives of many. Even the life of his father-in-law.

That was the one and only time Sirzechs fought seriously. The one and only time an enemy wounded him. The one and only time he unleashed the full might of his mutated Clan Trait, and experienced that high.

After the Civil War, he and Ajuka kept training with each other, out of fear that other Factions may launch attacks on them while weakened and torn apart.

Heaven had been very quiet during those times, and Sirzechs feared the might of the Archangel himself. Michael was gentle, but weak? He most certainly was not.

To this day, Sirzechs knows not who would come out on top if they were to exchange blows.

But after a hundred years of quiet, Sirzechs and Ajuka gradually stopped training. As Devils, they also grow stronger as they age, and that effect was much greater on Super Devils.

The Sirzechs that fought the Fly Chimera might as well be a hundred times weaker than the current one.

And yet…

And yet, he wasn't fully confident in being able to overcome the foe before him now.

The Voidling launches itself forward, resuming the battle. There was no skill or ability behind its movements and speed, just pure, savage and mindless physical prowess.

Its long arm bends unnaturally, drawn back in a wide arc, before it is ruthlessly swung through the air like a whip. The sheer force and speed behind the blow causes the air to boom and quake, a wall of compressed air sweeping forth… But the two monsters were faster than it.

Sirzechs sucked in a cold breath, ducking beneath the wide swing before hammering his fist into the Voidling's stomach. The rattling impact launched the star-filled creature back a good few meters, while Sirzechs hissed and glanced down at his fist.

The skin of his fingers and knuckles had vanished, making his eyes widen. 'So it erodes everything it touches, huh?' A nervous smile worked its way on his face. 'Wonder what's stronger… My Power of Destruction, or you...'

It didn't help that the Voidling seemed to be made of a crystal-like exterior. It felt like punching sharp and cold metal to Sirzechs.

The Devil moves first, resuming the exchange while the Voidling regathers its bearings. A long limb lashes out once more with the same careless but mighty strike, but Sirzechs is faster.

He ducks, Power of Destruction coating his fists, before he uppercuts the Voidling. Its head snaps back, body rising in the air, before Sirzechs grasps its ankles and slams it back back down, where his kick lashes out with ruthless force.

The Voidling takes the impact to the stomach and is launched into the wall of the abyss it had created beforehand, plumes of dust and powdered earth flying high into the air.

When it cleared away, Sirzechs inspected the damage left behind. The Voidling had just erased everything in its path, leaving behind a purple-like aura that kept eating away at the bedrock at a snail pace.

'It devours and assimilates matter, Sirzechs.' Ajuka's voice suddenly rings out within the crimson-haired Devil's mind, startling him for a moment. 'It is dense. Incredibly so. Denser than Earth- No, denser than a Star. That's the source of its might.'

And likely the source of its immense defenses. Could Sirzechs erase a Star? He didn't know, but he was eager to find out.

The bedrock vanished, devoured whole, and the Voidling launched itself with ruthless, feral ferocity once more. Each blow shook the world, causing Reality to crumble in on itself like paper being squeezed into a small ball.

Sirzechs did not dodge the exchange, and instead threw himself fully into it. Purple light and Power of Destruction ravaged the skies and land, each blow deafening but also not, reaching levels where the two powers erased the air itself.

Blackish-red cracks covered Sirzechs skin, growing deeper and more harrowing as the exchanges stretched on, his sleeves torn apart. He dodged, ducked, punched and unleashed all his skills, majority of them lacking practice.

But that was alright, for this opponent lacked skill- Until the Voidling dodged.

Sirzechs eyes widened in shock, haymaker going stray as the Voidling suddenly ducked beneath it. Its long arm, having already drawn back, swings forth with full force, and blood explodes out of Sirzechs mouth as the fist sinks into his stomach.

The world blurs, and he feels himself slam and ricochet across bedrock and earth. When his rag-dolling body comes to a stop, Sirzechs coughs out more blood, heaving for breath while holding his bruised side.

The place struck was burned through, clothes and flesh, exposing the muscles beneath, where the purple energy clung to it, trying to deepen the damage.

Sirzechs couldn't even describe the pain. It was so great, so mind-numbing, that he couldn't even bring himself to scream.

"It hurts…" He wheezes out, holding his injured spot, hands shaking. Despite himself, those words bring a pained chuckle out of him, "It hurts, huh?"

Pain, oh how humbling it was. How easily it cleared the mind, and made him understand his place.

He thought himself strong enough. Strong enough to protect his wife, his wonderful son, his family. His people.

But all this strength… "It feels worthless."

He glances up, through the rubble he was smashed into. His eyes locked onto the Voidling, slowly floating closer, that malevolent purple energy flowing out of it and erasing everything in its path.

This monster was an opportunity. An opportunity to grow better, to become greater, to finally undo the shackles keeping him tied down.

Things were just going to get worse, enemies much stronger, so he had to grow himself. He had to be ready for what was to come.

Reaching out, Sirzechs grabs the rubble around him to rise to his feet, the air humming and darkening as his Power of Destruction flows forth without control.

His gaze landed on the Voidling, and his mind entered overdrive.

He may be the Satan Lucifer of Internal Affairs, but before that he was a teacher and a lover for music. And that passion still existed, as he kept up with his studies.

Space before him shrunk into a dot, the same anomaly appearing right behind the Voidling. Sirzechs leans forward and vanishes, the wormhole taking him right behind his target.

High in the air, Sirzechs flips around, catastrophic amounts of Power of Destruction enveloping his leg before he kicks.

The Voidling barely turns its head before the blow lands, a pillar of all-devouring blackish-red power piercing the dome of the skies.

From within it, Sirzechs leaps out, grin on his face, "Guess I can use the Power of Destruction to replicate Hole…" He muses to himself, eyes shining with a near fanatical stare.

Desire, that was the crux behind Devil's Magic. The greater the Devil's Desire, the greater the power.

The air booms, the Voidling launching itself back at Sirzechs with that same mindless ferocity as always. It had no organs, no weaknesses. It was just a purely hard construct whose sole purpose was to devour and consume.

Another wide swing- Sirzechs swings his own arm, intercepting the blow before it reached the height of speed and power. The Voidling staggers back, then its head recoils to the side from Sirzechs follow-up punch.

Blow after blow, Power of Destruction ravaging and exploding against the staggering Voidling. Blows not meant to damage, but test the exterior.

And Sirzechs could feel it. Each blow made the Voidling shrink. It consumed its own matter to ignore blows, while consuming exterior one to regather what it loses.

Thus, Sirzechs best bet was to erase everything, and give it nothing to regenerate.

"The area is clear." Ajuka's voice rings within his head, bringing a wide grin on the Satan Lucifer's mouth, "You can go all out, my friend."

The blackish-red cracks all over his body expand, Power of Destruction pouring out of them like tidal waves.

For the second time in his life, Sirzechs lets go.

The sky turns blood-red, howling gales rushing towards the immense mountain of Power of Destruction devouring everything in its path. The Voidling stills, tilting its head at the wave of power- Before its body is bent in half, a fist slamming into its stomach with horrifying force.

The humanoid of Power of Destruction is annihilation given a rough form. Air rushes towards it in wild, howling gales, only to be erased from existence.

The skies change color, and the waves of annihilation sweep forth endlessly, without control nor reason.

The Voidling flew back, but it suddenly smashed its feet into the void and launched itself at Sirzechs like a meteorite. Its fist collides with a featureless face made of Power of Destruction, causing it to rock back.

No sound comes from Sirzechs, for he was erasing that too. Instead, he straightens his head and retaliates with a skull-caving blow himself.

Ajuka watched from the distance, eyes wide, fists trembling by his side. He watched the exchange of blows, the immense shock-waves ruffling his eyes despite the distance.

A battle capable of sinking continents. A battle that could strip the atmosphere from the face of the planet.

It was nothing short of apocalyptic, and yet… Yet, it exhilarated Ajuka like nothing else.

To his eyes, the world was Numbers. And right now, before him, he was watching as those Numbers ceased to exist.

The two monsters staggered back, then flew back at each other with mindless rage, their fists colliding- And Reality gave in, the Underworld vanished from around them, replaced by the kaleidoscope of colors that was the Dimensional Gap.

Around them, a war raged on. Trillions of machines launched themselves against a horde of Void-like beings, of different shapes and forms and sizes.

But neither fighter paid their surrounding any attention.

'He is learning!' Sirzechs screamed in his mind, the massive grin on his face unseen due to his current form, 'He copies me! Learns from me!"

His fist smashed into the Voidling's skull, while the monster slammed his own into Sirzechs'- The Dimensional Gap vanished, replaced by Cocytus.

'You're amazing!' Another blow, and they were in Helheim. The colossal form of Hraesvelgr loomed in the distance, eagle-like head turning to witness their battle.

Another blow, and Duat stretched around them.

Then Yomi, then Diyu, then Naraka- Their uncontrollable, annihilating might sent them across each layer of Hell, until they were back in their original place.

Reality and Space boomed around them, launching the two opponents away from each other. But Sirzechs saw it, that last blow he landed… It left a white crack along the Voidling's cheek.

'This isn't enough… I need more…' His gaze lands on his hands, watching as his Power of Destruction just flows out without control. His reserves were titanic, but not endless. This horrid control he had would make him weaker. It would be what spells his defeat.

Then his mind swims, thoughts of his sister rising up. The dress of Destruction she had mastered while training with Fleurdelys… Nigh-immaculate armor.

'If she can do it… So can I.' Far ahead, the Voidling staggered to its feet, galaxy-like eyes fixed upon Sirzechs with a strangely intense stare.

How stupid of him, to always brute force everything with the Power of Destruction. Seems like he had a lot to learn from his lovely little sister too.

'Now… What was that show that Millicas really loved again?" His Power of Destruction stills, then flows backward.

The humanoid of destruction slowly takes shape. Sleek armor, a long cape, a rounded helmet, and a large belt. All glowing and glittering like obsidian, given shape, form and density through pure, immaculate control.

"Not bad for a first try, eh?" Space shrinks, and Sirzechs steps beside the Voidling. His blow is casual, but it carries all the force that was once scattered carelessly.

If his previous punches held ten-percent of his strength, the current ones carried one-hundred percent and more.

Color vanished from the world, and a violent crack was devoured before it could echo forth. A brilliant white crack covered the Voidling's chest, with the monster staring at it in clear shock. Or perhaps fear?

"Oh, forgot to say 'Henshin!'… Millicas would be disappointed." And disappointed Millicas was dangerous for the heart. Damn Rias for having taught him the puppy-dog eyes…

Shaking away those thoughts, he fixed his gaze upon the distant Voidling, watching as that white crack slowly closes.

Slowly, the monster straightens himself, its matter like substance starting to flow out of him like a torrential river of stars and galaxies. The surge of that unknown energy slammed against Sirzechs, but he didn't stagger back even one inch.

'He is learning how to wield its energies, huh? What a monster…' He watched, and watched as the monster changed. Its humanoid exterior hardened, turning into a suit of armor similar to Sirzechs' own, much to his surprise.

Its growth was impressive… Alas, Sirzechs had already gleamed how to win. A whole new world for his Power of Destruction opened before him, and his hands slowly came together.

"Thank you, for opening my eyes." Space behind Sirzechs started shrinking, gathering into a singular, minuscule dot. "And goodbye."

Why destroy a Star, when there existed something that could devour it?

Sound vanished. Color and light twisted and warped around a slowly expanding Black Hole. The earth, the bedrock, the clouds- Everything within reach became dust, drawn towards the immense Gravitational Anomaly due to its sheer, expanding density.

Sirzechs stood atop it, hands cupped together, Power of Destruction working in overdrive, reaching levels he could have never, ever imagined before.

"All-Devouring Star."

The giant, abyssal maw loomed closer, expanding in scope and starting to draw the Voidling in.

The monster staggered, drawing back, seemingly finally afraid, the first proper show of emotions since it invaded. Then, it turned, trying to flee- But the Black Hole loomed closer, its mass growing, thus its suctioning force becoming too great to resist.

The Voidling was drawn in deeper and deeper, white cracks covering its body as it started to crack and pop, then shatter. Piece by piece, the impossibly dense creature was slowly undone.

Until, finally, the final piece of its star-like matter vanished within the depths of the Black Hole.

Then, within the blink of an eye, the Gravitational Anomaly vanished like it was never there. Light and color returned to the world and the skies, a gaping abyss left behind where the battlefield once stood.

Sirzechs slowly floats down, panting heavily, his Armor of Destruction slowly coming undone, revealing his bloodied and pale face. Yet, despite his exhaustion, there was a wide smile on his face.

"I hate saying this, because you always get a big head… But damn, you were right, Ajuka."

Sirzechs states, turning towards his friend, who had just teleported close now that the battle had ended.

Ajuka smirks, "And I always enjoy saying 'I told you so'."

"Okay now, listen here, you bastard-!"

It would take Sirzechs a good minute before he realized he accidentally erased the Gate the Devils were using to train.

~XXX~

"Mmph, yes… That's the way, darlin'…"

"Can you stop being so fucking lecherous, woman!?"

"I will when you bend me over and stuff me with your thick, hot essence!"

I keep Yi Xuan's face at bay with my palm, her hands trying to tear at my pants, lecherous pants and drool leaving those wonderful lips of hers.

"You're even worse than last time, woman!"

"Last time you didn't have three Extreme Yang Qi cores, you stallion!" Yi Xuan cries out, her appearance so alluring but also so terrifying. "It would save me decades of cultivation! Decades! Oh, and when you'll upgrade those Cores of yours… Ahn!"

She drops to the ground with a lustful cry, hugging her body while rolling left and right. I turn a disturbed look towards Changli, who just gives me a nervous smile.

"So, how do I go about properly upgrading my Qi Cores?" I question, and Yi Xuan instantly sits up, though her golden and white yukata remains very disheveled. Enough for me to know that she is completely nude beneath it.

"Let this Senior Sister help you, darlin'!"

I suppress a shudder at that lecherous stare she throws at me – it is still hot as hell – and watch as she stands and moves to kneel behind me. Her two palms soon rest against my back, and I feel her Qi slowly enter my body.

It feels dense, impossibly so. While mine is like air, hers feels like a heavy river.

"Hmm… You've put them through the wringer, haven't you?" I blink at her words, making me tilt my head.

"Is that bad?" Luckily, Changli shakes her head with a soft smile.

"Cultivators cannot rush through Realms, lest their foundation is unstable and may crumble in later Realms, or they might also be several times weaker than a proper Cultivator at their same Stage." The Phenex beauty instructs me, her face and voice as cute as ever when she dons the teacher's mantle.

"Thus, the more a Cultivator fights, the better their Qi ends up being. It is also a form of Cultivation, just much slower."

And since I've been using my Corpse Qi constantly through my war across No Man's Land, I've basically been refining my Cores nonstop. I didn't really pay attention, but perhaps my Qi has indeed improved.

"I did want to ask, but are there any Techniques that I could use with my Corpse Qi, or…?"

Yi Xuan slaps her palm against my shoulder, "I strongly advise not. Those are techniques from the Evil Path, and require slaughtering innocent lives in order to practice and master."

Yikes, just as I feared then… Sad, but not that much of a disappointment. Just using the Corpse Qi to massively strengthen my army of Undead is enough for me.

It is already a force to be reckoned with, but I want it to be as powerful as possible.

"Either way, your usage of these puppies did a lot of work. They just need an extra push to reach the next level." Her palms leave my back, and I hear her stand. I watch as she hums and walks around me, a lone finger drawing golden and weird Runes in the air.

Just looking at them gives me a mild headache, so I don't focus on them, and watch as they fall on the ground, creating a minuscule Array surrounding my seated form.

"Luckily, the Qi here is already as pure and as dense as it can be." Yi Xuan drawls out, "Thus there is no greater breakthrough opportunity for you than this."

Stepping away, she does a quick hand sign, and the air warps. I feel the dense Qi in the air suddenly rush towards me- Or rather, rush towards the Array around me, which gathers it in the small area I am seated in.

This causes my Cores to work in overdrive, drawing in more and more Qi despite being full, causing Qi to grow denser, heavier, the impure energy forcefully expelled through my body in a process that would be painful if this Lich body of mine had pain receptors.

Yet, I feel my Qi change. It grows heavier, mightier, so much purer, and it turns into a liquid. Once the first drop appears, it devours the surrounding Qi, using it to grow and become a puddle, then a bucket, then a massive lake.

I let out a breath of turbid air as I feel my three Cores settle and hum, my eyes wide as I raise a hand and call upon that new Corpse Qi. The dark green miasma is so thick that I can't see through it, and puts the previous one to shame.

[Corpse Qi Spring]

The Second Realm of the Qi Core, called Qi Spring.

The recovery speed of Qi is increased by dozens of times, while Qi itself has become a liquid. Dense, mighty, and more than a hundred times greater than its previous form.

I hold back a whistle at that.

I have three of such Qi Springs, so my reserves are immense. Can't wait to go back and have all my Jianqshi advance and upgrade their Cores, while also improving the Necrotic Miasma in the Dimension.

"Huh, thanks for this. It'll help me a lot from now on." I state, before looking up at Yi Xuan, who is back to drooling at me and licking her lips like she is staring at a succulent piece of meat.

"Right, since you joined our Peerage, I should make something for you too." I words bring the beauty out of her lust-focused stare, making her blink curiously at me. "I just do not know what would be a good match for you…"

I know jack-shit about Formations and Arrays, just that they cost a lot to make, and are incredibly hard to control. When autonomous, their power isn't even half of what it is when controlled by a proper Master.

"Oh, that's easy." Yi Xuan starts, and I instantly expect her to request something lurid, but she ends up surprising me, "You can make Souls, right? I'd like some tied to me. A dozen, preferably."

Huh… "That'll be easy. Any reason why?"

Yi Xuan turns, hips swaying as she walks back to her resting golden Dragon so to sit upon it, "Formation are all about Nodes. The more Nodes, the greater the power. My greatest masterpiece? Ten-thousand Nodes, and that is as far as I can control, even with all my mental power and multi-tasking capabilities."

"But if I had more Souls that I can control and coach to my same level of mastery? I could go for twenty-thousand, thirty- Or as high as fifty-thousand! The power such a Formation could unleash could put even Heavenly Dragon Class monsters to shame."

Well, I guess she is truly worth investing in. And pumping a few loads into to keep her off of me for a while.

Good thing that being so desired doesn't get to my head…

The Sephiroth Graal appears in my grasp, together with some rare gemstones my army had gathered while we were out in No Man's Land. I mostly stored them because they looked beautiful, but I can also turn them into Soul Gems.

I squeeze together a lot of Soul Essence and create ten mature, and very powerful Souls, before shoving them inside the large fist sized gems, each one of a different color.

Once done, I connect each Soul, then connect them to Yi Xuan's. Her eyes widen, but she swiftly grasps a hand at this, the ten Soul Gems floating around her- Then in different patterns.

"Oh, I can teach them Soul Cultivation…" The Formation Mistress realizes, eyes widening, before turning sultry and snapping my way, "I will make sure to drain you completely once I am done with these cuties." A snap of her fingers makes her Dragon rise, flap its wings and rise to the skies, moving to fly deeper into the valley to do… Who knows what.

She is a weird but pleasant woman, if not overly lecherous due to her desire to advance her Cultivation with any means necessary.

Shaking my head, I rise and dust off my pants from the stray grass before turning to Changli, "I'll be going to take care of some stuff real quick. Make sure to come out quickly, as I'll be cooking up a feast."

The Phenex Alchemist nods, before hopping forward to envelope me in a tight hug, "It's nice to have you back, Scaith." I chuckle and hug her right back.

"Oh, and keep your army of beasts ready. We might need it soon." Her head looks up at me, wide eyes blinking in surprise.

"You mean… Another Beast Tide?"

I nod, "I'm not certain, but be ready just in case." I get a swift, serious nod from her before we break the hug.

The massacre I led across No Man's Land was basically a drop in the ocean. The damage I did has likely already been recovered and gotten worse.

Each time I use Soul Sight and gaze at the horizon far behind New Haven, I keep seeing far more Souls than when the Beast Tide struck. Soon enough, another and far greater wave will overflow towards us, aiming to crush us.

Either due to mass migration, or because of Rizevim's and the Machine's meddling.

I exit the Time Bubble, and instantly feel Mugen reach out to me, 'My Lord, you have guests awaiting for you at the mansion.' My Super Devil Undead informs me, and I send him a quick metal thanks before speeding back home.

I feel the presence of whoever is waiting for me from afar too. One presence is familiar. Radiant, warm, pure and grand, a light that burns but loves too.

The other is electric, heavy, like a storm. It smells of ozone, and makes the clouds look darker than they should be.

I land by the doors soon after, then step inside, instantly feeling two pairs of eyes land on me. One is from a towering, breath-taking woman.

Yah, the God of the Bible in their female form. Tall, blonde, with golden eyes and curves that are just mouth-watering, all contained within a golden dress woven out of Holy Light.

The other is an old man, on the shorter side and hunched over. A long white beard and white hair, with electric blue eyes that scream power.

"Lady Yah." I nod at the Goddess with a friendly smile, receiving a radiant one in return. "This is… Lord Zeus, I presume."

The old God snorts softly, "Well met, Necromancer." He nods his head in greeting, but also respect, much to my surprise.

"I am overjoyed to see you back safe and sound." Yah states softly, her voice like sweet honey, "I do apologize for this sudden visit, but alas… 'Tis important." She motions towards Zeus, making me give the old God my full attention.

He isn't the current ruler of Olympus anymore, but Apollon is. He passed down the Crown roughly two or three centuries ago, for some reason.

The Greeks are among the most powerful Factions, perhaps tied with the Norse. They have many Gods, and a great deal of them are incredibly powerful.

Both Hades and Apollon are among the Top Ten Strongest Beings in the Supernatural World, in fact.

And Hades is the God of Death from whom I want the Blessing from for one specific reason. The one part of Necromancy I haven't focused much on is Soul-related.

Spirits, Shades, things like that. For one, because they are glass cannons despite being incredibly strong, and for two, because it would take too long to master.

But a Blessing from Hades would help. Why? Because of his Grim Reapers. They are Souls created by him, with the duty to assist in handling his Domain.

Plus, I can create an army of Mage Shades to rain Spells down upon the battlefield in my stead, and I also want to see what I can do with them fused with Corpse Qi.

Lots of opportunities.

Zeus sighs, seemingly aging several more decades with that low breath. The arrogant, prideful God I expected is nowhere to be seen. "I've come to request your aid, Necromancer."

"The Greek lands in the Underworld were ravaged by the Beast Tide, for we lacked our strongest fighter and his armies at our side." His old hand grips his staff tightly, radiant blue sparks flaring around it, "The power my brother, Hades, wields is… Immense. A boon we need to survive the future."

Electric blue eyes fix upon me with a desperate need in them.

"I require your help, wielder of Sephiroth Graal… In bringing my brother's wife back to life, so that I may have my brother back."

Well…

Things just got complicated.

A.N. Got motivated and wrote this chappy in a few hours.

Also, dunno who here guessed that I was gonna do the whole 'bring Hades' wife back to life thingy', but damn. Good guess.

Hope y'all enjoyed it!

Toodles!