The Genesis Of A Necromancer - Chapter 112

Chapter 112: Ghost warriors-banshees
The phrase echoed in Jack’s mind like a death knell:

The God of the Dead. The Lord Supreme. Death.

A chill raced down his spine, his entire body locking up. He could feel it—the crushing weight of that name.

The system, ever indifferent and clinical, made it as clear as daylight.

[Entity Identified: The God of the Dead.]

Jack didn’t need further explanation. This was no simple creature, no minor underling of the divine realms. This was the real deal: the harbinger of souls, the ruler of the underworld. A being whose title alone demanded reverence and fear.

There was a gulf, a chasm between him—a mere incarnate—and this towering figure. The disparity wasn’t just palpable; it was suffocating.

“What is that?” Alisha asked, her voice quivering despite her attempts to mask it with curiosity.

Jack’s response was grim. “It’s not what, it’s who.”

Alisha squinted at the skeletal giant seated on its throne of bones. “How can someone be that tall? That can’t be—”

“It’s not someone,” Jack cut her off, his voice laced with irritation. “That’s the God of the Dead.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “The God of the Dead? But aren’t you… I mean, aren’t you supposed to be his incarnate?”

“Incarnate. Not him, you numbskull!” Jack barked, his annoyance bubbling to the surface.

“Hmph,” Alisha snorted, crossing her arms in defiance. “Says the almighty S-rank mage who barely knows how to wield a sword.”

“Keep yapping, and you’ll find out how well I wield one,” Jack snapped back, his patience wearing thin.

But as the bickering fizzled out, Alisha’s gaze returned to the figure, her bravado replaced with unease. “But isn’t that body supposed to be… dead? The energy it’s emitting… it’s terrifying.”

Jack didn’t respond immediately, his own thoughts mirroring her sentiment.

‘She’s right,’ he mused, feeling the oppressive aura seep into his skin. It was raw and primal, a force that seemed to envelop everything in its reach. The cavern, vast and filled with glowing soul blooms, suddenly felt void of life.

The air itself felt heavier, as though the skeletal figure was bending reality to its will. And the longer Jack stared at it, the more he felt an overwhelming pull—an abyss swallowing him whole, dragging him into a realm beyond comprehension.

‘What… is this?’

His thoughts spiraled as ghostly images began to materialize in front of him.

A man and a woman emerged, their forms faint and shimmering like fragile glass. Jack’s breath caught in his throat as recognition struck him.

“Jack!” the man called out, his voice warm and familiar. “It’s been so long! We’ve been looking for you!”

Jack staggered back, his heart pounding. “No… No, this isn’t real.”

The system chimed in coldly, as if mocking him.

[Spell Detected: Soul Summon. Resistance to Dark Magic +100.]

Jack’s hands clenched into fists. The figures before him—the faces of his mother and father—were nothing more than cruel illusions.

“These bastards are dead!” Jack roared, his voice filled with a venomous mix of grief and fury. The illusion shattered like glass, the images vanishing into thin air.

His vision cleared, but the dread didn’t fade. Alisha and Missy were walking forward, their movements slow and trance-like, their eyes vacant.

“What the—” Jack blinked, realizing just how far they’d moved. “Alisha! Missy! Where are you going?”

They didn’t respond.

The soul blooms, their ethereal green glow filling the cavern, were also drifting toward the skeletal giant. Each wisp of light floated upward, only to be drawn into the figure’s form. As they made contact, a muffled shriek tore through the air before fading into silence. The flowers dimmed and wilted, their essence consumed.

Jack’s stomach churned. ‘What’s happening here? What is all this?’

He sprinted forward, reaching Alisha first. Grabbing her arm, he shook her violently. “Snap out of it!”

“Mom? Dad?” she whispered, her voice fragile and filled with longing. “I’m coming…”

Jack cursed under his breath, panic settling deep in his chest. ‘If they touch that thing, they’re done for!’

He glanced at Missy, her small frame trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks. “Mom… Dad…” she whimpered.

Jack’s hands shook as he turned her away from the skeletal figure. “Missy!” he barked. “Look at me!”

The moment her eyes broke contact with the entity, the trance shattered. Missy gasped, collapsing to the ground as sobs wracked her body.

“Don’t look back,” Jack ordered firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. “No matter what you hear, don’t look back.”

Turning to Alisha, he bolted after her. She was much closer to the skeletal throne now, her steps slow but relentless. Jack’s heart pounded as he reached her, spinning her around. Her vacant eyes cleared, and she crumpled to the ground, trembling like a child.

“The hell is wrong with you two?” Jack snapped, frustration mingling with relief.

But before he could say more, a cold breeze swept past him. Two ghostly figures emerged from the skeletal giant’s throne, their translucent forms dripping with malice.

“What now?” Jack muttered, summoning his dagger.

[Enemies Detected: Ghost warriors]

[Type: Crying Souls – Banshees.]

[Level: 20.]

The banshees’ hollow eyes locked onto Jack. One opened its maw, unleashing an ear-splitting wail that tore through the cavern. The sound was unbearable, a symphony of a thousand tortured screams.

“Alisha!” Jack shouted, his voice barely audible over the din. “Get your ass up and fight!”

A dark blast shot from his hand, colliding with the sound waves and creating a deafening explosion. The banshee recoiled but didn’t falter.

“Missy, stay back!” Jack ordered, stepping between the girls and the banshees.

The second banshee lunged forward, its clawed hand reaching for Jack’s throat. He dodged, slashing upward with his dagger. The blade passed through the ghostly form, leaving it unharmed.

“Shit,” Jack hissed.

The system chimed again.

[Weakness Identified: Light Magic.]

Jack’s jaw tightened. “Of course it’s light magic,” he muttered bitterly. “The one thing I don’t have.”

‘Alisha isn’t in a state where she can fight right now,’ Jack thought, his eyes flickering briefly toward Alisha and Missy. The two huddled together in the shadows, their faces pale and trembling.

For the first time, Jack noticed the vulnerability etched on Alisha’s usually defiant face. Her hollowed eyes and shaken demeanor struck him. She looked like a child—lost, fragile, and utterly unlike her fierce, unyielding self.

‘Damn,’ Jack thought grimly. ‘I never thought a day would come when she’d be this weak.’ The trance had ripped away her mask, exposing a softness she had long buried.

A pang of something unfamiliar struck him. Sympathy.

Jack swallowed hard, pushing the feeling aside. ‘She lost everything… just like I did,’ he realized. For the first time, he saw Alisha not as an annoyance, but as someone who shared his pain.

The weight of loneliness crept in like an unwelcome guest. It clawed at his thoughts, reminding him of nights spent staring into the void, wishing for someone, anyone, to pull him out of the darkness. He shook his head fiercely, banishing the memory.

There wasn’t time for that now.

He glanced at his status.

[MP: 300/1000]

‘Tch. I barely have anything left,’ Jack cursed silently.

Summoning what remained of his energy, he lunged into the air, the motion fluid and calculated. Twisting mid-flight, he closed the gap between himself and one of the ghostly warriors. His body spun like a coiled spring, and with a feral shout, he drove the Shadow Fang downward with crushing force.

The blade cleaved the ghost in two, its spectral form tearing apart in a burst of darkness. Jack’s eyes blazed with determination as he landed in a crouch, his gaze fixed on the dissipating figure.

‘If I can’t survive this with brute force,’ he thought, stretching out his hands toward the fragmented spirit, ‘then I’ll absorb the souls myself.’

“[Corruption]!”

A surge of dark energy pulsed from his palms, curling around the broken spirit like tendrils of smoke. Jack felt the familiar pull of power, the intoxicating rush of strength as he prepared to devour its essence.

But the system’s chime shattered his confidence.

[Error: User cannot corrupt claimed soul. Defeat the one who has claimed the soul.]

“What?!” Jack’s voice was sharp, disbelief twisting his features.

His eyes darted to the skeletal figure seated on its grotesque throne. Its empty sockets seemed to lock onto him, a sinister glint flickering in the abyss.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ Jack thought, his pulse quickening. His mind raced with questions. How could he defeat something that was already dead? Or worse… was it even truly dead?

A shiver ran through him.