[Bonus chapter for 50 golden tickets]
Ryu's expression didn't change as twenty or so silver-armored guards charged toward him. He casually leapt onto the Bloodied Steed's back. Standing at just over three meters tall, it was a magnificent beast. Just sitting upon it, Ryu felt his blood boil as though he was charging through a battlefield.
Having recollected himself from anger, Ryu knew it wasn't in his best interest to connect his identities. Before when he used his glaive, it was too quick for others to notice. At least not the individuals that were there, anyway. Their prowess was too far below his own, most only saw a flash and didn't register that he even held a weapon.
Seeing through his own mistake, Ryu wouldn't make the same error again. Since he was currently Ryu the Necromancer… He would be exactly that.
In an instant, thirty Fourth Order corpse puppets appeared before Ryu, each exuding the aura of a Spiritual Severing expert. Like the Commander of a battlefield, Ryu sat upon the Bloodied Steed's back, his expression calm, but dark.
"Trying to suppress a Necromancer with numbers… How funny."
The guards hesitated in their charge, even their Captain, who hadn't followed them, felt his heart seize. He had rashly ordered the attack, not thinking everything through beforehand. But even still, this young man's words made his lips twitch… Did he think having so many Fourth Order corpses at his Realm was normal?! At most Necromancers of his age and prowess might have five or six!
Ryu truly didn't know this. In fact, he couldn't control so many corpse puppets at once. It was only thanks to Hecate's special refinement method that he was able to do this. The corpses maintained a faint will of their own, allowing them to follow simple commands. Currently, Ryu could barely control a single corpse puppet, and not very well, at that.
Ryu knew that his skills in Necromancy were lacking. Because he was controlling the corpses with simple one-word commands like 'attack' and 'defend', their prowess was half what it could be. However, he had his own methods to make up for this.
Captain Zu looked on toward the black cloaked corpses. None moved a single inch. He could tell by the black fog hovering before their faces that Ryu had taken steps to hide their identities, a sign of respect for the Clans they might be from.
Though this seemed like a simple technique, Captain Zu was well aware that no Necromancy Clans on this Plane had access to such a technique. To be able to block his senses as a Peak Spiritual Severing Realm expert… It seemed he had really smashed his foot against an iron plate today.
Two beautiful daggers with a black finish and blue crystalline edges appeared in Ryu's hands. Whenever he used treasures he received that night, he couldn't help but see Elena's face.
Her beautiful soft lips, the devious and playful light in her pink diamond eyes, the gentle feeling of her touch. The woman who cared so much for him, the one he owed too much to.
He felt his mood sway, feeling as though the rage he had forgotten was building back up again.
His eyes closed. 'I just need to make it to the Soul Birth Realm. Then I'll know if she's okay… Then I'll know where to go to see her again… Wait for me Elena, I'm already in the Spiritual Endowment Stage… Only one more step left…"
By the time he opened his eyes once more, the two sides were almost about to clash.
'Steady.' Ryu spoke his command.
The corpse puppets shifted like a well-oiled machine, spears appearing in their hands as they sank into solid, wide-footed stances.
"He can control them all so fluidly?!" Tae felt shaky. All of her intelligence had taken a massive blow.
There was nothing in this world Ryu was more familiar with than the Basic Stances. So what if he could only control the corpses with simple one word commands? Even if others would only be able to bring out half of their original power… He could make them stronger than they were when they were alive!
His eyes still closed, he felt the battlefield spread out in his mind. It was no longer the foggy images of before, they were crisp and clean. His Spiritual Sense could stretch out for twenty kilometers. Though this wasn't enough to cover a city as large as Looming City, it was more than enough to cover a battlefield that spanned only fifty or so meters.
'Pierce.'
Images of Ryu's perfect pierce flooded the minds of the corpse puppets. Since they had wills of their own, they could obviously be influenced by Ryu's own will. His comprehension was so deep that it came to him as easy as breathing.
Tae trembled as the two sides clashed. "They say that Necromancers must be experts in all sorts of fighting methods so that they can tailor their commands with the optimal fighting style… There are some exceptionally skilled Necromancers who seek out corpses who have already trained in their preferred style, creating an army tailored to their strength… He's…"
Five undead pierced outward with flawless precision. Ryu had arranged them into three group of ten, lining them up in rows of five. The first squad stood at the vanguard, while the remaining two were separated about two meters from their back line, flanking their right and left.
This was a basic formation Ryu remembered seeing a tactics book in Shrine Library. He never cared for such things, but thanks to his Origin Flame, he remembered it with absolute clarity.
Five strikes were sent and five arcs of blood were drawn into the air. Though Ryu didn't kill them, five guards fell, unable to battle.
'Retreat. Sidestep. Steady. Sidestep. Lunge. Sweep. Sweep.'
Ryu had casually made their weapons of a fairly sturdy hundred-year oak tree. The result were a set of weapons barely at the Common Grade. Yet, the results were actually so devastating.
From start to finish, no one but the foremost front five attacked, yet the entire squadron of guards fell in agony, gripping their injuries, completely unable to battle.
"You… You actually attempted to murder Looming City Guards?!" Captain Zu erupted.
Ryu didn't even bother to answer. Even those around looked toward the captain with disgust. If Ryu wanted them dead, how could they be alive? It was then that a sudden laughter could be heard from the distance… The power of which the current Ryu could not ignore…