The hesitant footsteps echoed on the cracked marble floor as Justin followed Klaus.
Justin had never doubted Klaus since their first raid together. He had never encountered anyone daring enough to deceive the Director of the Awakener Association, challenge powerful guilds, or create innovations that shook the world. Klaus always managed to exceed expectations; he was nothing short of a miracle.
Justin wouldn't question Klaus. However, necromancy was something entirely different.
For the past eighteen years, there had been no news of an awakener capable of resurrecting the dead. While some cases involved people coming back to life, they were supported by medical means.
Justin believed Klaus was attempting the impossible. Sylvia had been dead for several hours, and her heart was gone. There was zero chance for her to return to life.
No human could bring back the dead, not even with the current advancements in science and technology. It was something only a God could do. But if Klaus could truly perform necromancy, then he was definitely no human.
Moreover, Justin felt a moral dilemma. Was resurrecting someone from death the right thing to do? Those who had passed away should not be brought back to life. After all, their time in this world had come to an end.
After traversing a long corridor and ascending several floors, they entered a room filled with scattered books on the floor. Bookshelves were destroyed, and bullet holes adorned the walls, indicating a past shootout in the room.
Klaus placed Sylvia's body on a sofa and asked Justin to clear the area, leaving an empty space in the center of the room. He then wounded his own hand and drew a pattern with strange symbols on the floor. Watching Klaus create a magic circle, Justin suddenly felt fearful.
"Are we going to 'resurrect' Sylvia here?" Justin asked.
"Yes. It won't take long."
Justin pursed his lips. "I see. But, Klaus, are we really going to perform necromancy? I mean, you'll be doing magic."
"Yes."
Klaus's brief response made Justin nod repeatedly. He was prepared to hear this answer, but it was still challenging for him to accept the fact that magic existed.
"Well, I'll finally witness magic with my own eyes. I never thought it actually existed," mumbled Justin.
"It does. Magic has been around for a long time. But since mana only filled your world eighteen years ago, you've only come to know of it recently. In fact, you've been using magic all this time without realizing it," Klaus explained.
Justin raised an eyebrow. "You mean, like creating ice or using my [Charm], right?"
"Exactly. The things you call 'talents' and 'elemental affinity' are forms of magic. People in your world have given them different names. I'm curious, though. How did you all gain magic without studying it? It's as if 'they' gave it to you for free. It's very strange to me," Klaus said.
Justin squinted. After a moment, he chuckled, thinking Klaus was joking. "You talk as if you're not from this world at all."
Klaus completed the magic circle and stood up. Looking at Justin, he gave him a serious gaze and said, "Yes, I am not. I come from a 'dungeon'."
Naturally, Justin's eyes widened. At that moment, he could see the seriousness in Klaus's face. Stunned like a fool, he didn't know how to respond to the situation. He was utterly speechless.
On the other side, Klaus could see his subordinate shocked after learning the truth about this world.
[My liege, forgive me for intervening. I don't think you should have told him this. It's too early for them. Let them discover it on their own.] Laplace's voice echoed in his head.
"I know," Klaus replied in a low tone. "But my subordinates need to know this soon. They'll see someone who was dead come back to life very soon anyway."
CLAP!
Klaus clapped his hands loudly, startling the shaken Justin. His face showed that he couldn't digest what he had just learned.
"I know you're still confused, Justin. But I need you to be ready. It won't take long, but if we fail midway, everything will be ruined. Do you understand?"
Justin nodded hesitantly. "Ye... yeah. I... I get it."
"Good. Now, freeze this room."
Following Klaus's instructions, Justin emitted a blue light from his hand and quickly covered the entire room with ice. All objects in the room froze, leaving an empty space where the magic circle was located.
As Klaus placed Sylvia's body at the center of the circle, Justin watched with a pounding heart. For the first time in his life, he would witness someone bringing the dead back to life.
Klaus rubbed his ring, and in an instant, a giant-sized heart appeared in his hand. It was the [Lesser Dragon's Heart].
"Are you going to use it for her, my liege?" Laplace asked.
"Yeah, there's no other way."
When a living creature dies, their soul does not immediately depart to the afterlife. It remains inside the deceased body until it is completely destroyed, during which time the soul is in a dormant state.
Necromancy is the magic to awaken the slumbering soul, akin to shocking a stopped heart back to life with an electric current. Therefore, Klaus needed to repair Sylvia's body. He could have used an ordinary human heart, but the situation was urgent.????????????????????????????????.????????????
Klaus transformed the [Lesser Dragon's Heart] to the size of an adult's fist and placed it into Sylvia's chest. Then, he used the [Duplicate] magic to fill the holes by replicating flesh. He couldn't use [Cure] or any healing magic since the cells in her body were dead.
"Done. Let's begin."
Taking deep breaths, Klaus began chanting. A black aura emerged from his body, filling the entire room with intense darkness. Justin trembled with fear but tried to steady himself as the atmosphere grew more eerie.I think you should take a look at
The blood circle drawn in the middle of the room lit up red, and Sylvia levitated in the air. Suddenly, a woman's screams echoed in this small room. Recognizing the voice, Justin trembled even more.
On the other side, Klaus was sweating profusely as mana flowed out of his body.
[Hold on, my liege. Her soul is awakening.]
"I know!" Klaus grumbled, annoyed.
This was the most challenging phase.
The soul was highly sensitive. When someone attempted to touch it, the owner would feel excruciating pain. If likened to a scenario, Klaus was touching Sylvia with his finger, but she felt as though a sword was piercing her body.
If Klaus touched Sylvia too forcefully, even slightly, her soul would shatter. He couldn't make the slightest mistake.
Amidst the tense moment, Sylvia began moving her hands, a sign that her soul was starting to awaken. A grin spread across his face.
"Good, hold on, Sylvia."
However, the smile didn't last long.
The screams grew louder. Sylvia's spirit started to leave her body.
[Her soul is becoming unstable. If you keep touching her like this, she will—]
"Damn it! I know!" Klaus snapped at Laplace.
It was even more difficult than he had imagined. His mana was too powerful. Only 1% of it was being utilized, while the remaining 99% went to waste. Klaus himself was causing this necromancy ritual to be difficult.
As time passed, her spirit became increasingly unstable. Shouts of pain reverberated throughout the room. Justin felt his knees weaken as he witnessed the necromancy ritual unfold. He might not understand what was happening, but the screams told him enough.
"Sylvia, hold on," Justin murmured.
Klaus continued to struggle. Mana flowed out of his body like a waterfall. His legs began to tremble, and his breathing became heavy. Although only a few minutes had passed, Klaus showed signs of exhaustion.
If he didn't have an abundant reserve of mana within him, he might have fainted by now.
"Laplace. I can't hold on much longer."
[...]
As the dark aura emanating from Klaus started to diminish, a woman's spirit in the form of fire emerged from his body. Possessing Sylvia's body, it attempted to soothe the tormented soul. Meanwhile, Justin could only gape at the scene before him.
"What the heck," he whispered.
Not long after, the dark aura disappeared entirely from the room. Klaus fell to his knees, breathing heavily. His face was pale, but his lips curved up.
"I don't know what happened, but it was a success," he murmured.
"Klaus! Are you okay!"
Justin rushed to him, showing concern as he looked at Klaus. It was the first time he had seen Klaus so drained.
"I'm fine, Justin," Klaus replied weakly. "You shouldn't worry about me."
Turning his head, Justin saw Sylvia floating in the air. Her body emitted flames and distorted the space around her. He could sense an extraordinary amount of mana from her.
"Will she be okay?" Justin asked.
"Better," Klaus replied, grinning.
Klaus not only brought Sylvia back from the dead but also transplanted the [Lesser Dragon's Heart] into her body. She would undoubtedly become stronger, much stronger than before.
However, Klaus couldn't measure her battle power because Laplace was currently inside her.
"Klaus—" Justin uttered, his eyes widening.
"I know."
Floating in the air, Sylvia opened her eyes. She landed gently on the floor and walked toward the two of them. Her hair was no longer red but had turned silver.
Smiling, she said, "My liege, we succeeded."
And then, Sylvia fainted.
