The Genesis Of A Necromancer

Chapter 107 tomb of souls

Jack stood still, his gaze locked on Gale's bloodied form. The deep wound in Gale's stomach oozed dark, viscous blood, evidence of a battle far beyond ordinary.

'If my suspicions are right, a First Order angel should rival a higher demon like Zomaza. So what tipped the scales?' Jack's eyes narrowed as he processed the information. 'Is there some artifact or power at play?'

"How did you lose?" Jack asked coldly, though his voice carried a tinge of disbelief.

The group had already learned of Gale's defeat earlier, but seeing the mighty warrior—one who should have been their strongest asset—standing there, wounded and staggering, made the news harder to accept.

Gale grimaced, clutching at his bleeding side as sweat trickled down his pale face. Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire

"Zomaza has the Death Scale," he croaked, his voice low and strained.

"That artifact… it boosts his power beyond what's natural. And not just him—his servants, too. They grow stronger under its influence. It's… unnatural."

Jack's fists clenched as he studied Gale's trembling form. The Death Scale. The name sent a chill through him.

He had read about it in the novel, but its full potential had always been obscured—a fragment of lore buried deep in the plot.

The wound was fatal-looking, but Jack knew better.

'So long as they're not dead, the shadow space will keep them alive… they just need time.'

"Enough. Enter the space and rest up," Jack ordered, his voice firm.

Without hesitation, Gale and the others dissipated into tendrils of shadow, swirling into Jack's body like ink soaking into fabric.

The sudden silence left the air heavy.

Jack turned toward the wall blocking their path. Its dull golden patterns glimmered faintly, now seeming far less ordinary.

Missy stood in front of it, her small hands trembling slightly.

"Missy, go ahead. We don't have much time," Jack urged softly.

Missy nodded, her face pale but resolute.

She stepped closer to the wall, her delicate fingers hovering inches from the surface. The moment her hand approached, something began to change.

The golden patterns flared to life, blazing with a brightness that outshone even the blue mana crystals embedded in the cavern walls.

The light swirled, as though alive, spreading like veins across the tunnel. A deep hum vibrated through the ground, and the entire cavern shuddered.

Jack tensed.

"What the…?"

Alisha took a step back, her knuckles white around her staff. "What's happening?" she asked, her voice tight with anxiety.

"No idea," Jack muttered, though his sharp gaze took in every detail. 'This wasn't in the novel…'

The golden light surged, forming complex, shifting patterns across the wall.

Missy's eyes began to glow, the same intense golden hue, as her hair lifted—suspended by some unseen force.

The mana crystals pulsed erratically, their bright blue glow flickering to match the hum reverberating through the tunnel.

"Missy!" Alisha shouted, alarmed.

The walls trembled, loose stones cracking and falling as the massive barrier slowly began to move.

With a grinding roar, the stone wall slid open, revealing a dark space beyond—a cavernous void, cold and foreboding.

The golden glow ebbed, and Missy's eyes dimmed. Her small body wavered before she crumpled backward.

Jack was there in an instant, catching her before she hit the ground.

"Don't push yourself again, okay? You did well," he said softly, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.

The words felt foreign to him, and his jaw tightened with the effort it took to say them.

Missy blinked up at him, exhaustion clouding her gaze, before her eyes fluttered shut.

Jack carried her in his arms as he turned to face the now-open path. The blackness beyond the threshold seemed to breathe, its silence heavy and unnatural.

Then, as if on cue, torches within the void burst to life. Rows of flickering green flames illuminated the path ahead, their eerie glow casting grotesque shadows along the jagged walls.

"What… what is this place?" Alisha whispered, stepping closer. The green fire reflected off her wide eyes.

Jack exhaled sharply, memories flooding back.

'I know this place.' The thought settled in his chest like a stone. "It's a temple," he muttered. "The Temple of Souls."

At the end of the corridor, an altar loomed. It was massive, its surface covered in strange patterns—similar to those on the wall.

The air around it pulsed with energy—dark, potent, and suffocating.

"This energy…" Alisha whispered. "It reminds me of the altar where we serve Olion… but this… it's twisted. Corrupted."

Jack took a cautious step inside, his boots clicking against the stone. Beneath him, green lines of light crawled across the floor, forming intricate runes.

The walls glowed faintly, and shapes became clearer—makeshift drawers carved into the stone, like coffins. Skeletal remains lay within, their brittle forms frozen in death.

The temple door behind them slammed shut with a deafening boom.

Alisha whirled around, panic in her voice.

"What was that?!"

Jack didn't turn. His eyes were locked on the altar, where something dark was beginning to take shape. A black wisp coiled upward, growing thicker and more defined.

"Stay sharp," Jack said calmly, though his body was tense.

"We don't know what's about to happen."

The dark energy atop the altar condensed, swirling like a storm cloud, until a voice echoed through the cavern—a deep, disembodied rumble that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

'The Lord does not believe in your capabilities.'

Jack froze, his expression darkening.

'You must prove your worth.'

Alisha shivered, clutching her staff tighter.

"Who—who's saying that?"

Jack couldn't explain that it had something to do with the system screen that was appearing right in front of him.

The voice continued, unrelenting:

'The first trial has begun.'

The skeletons in the wall drawers began to move.

One by one, brittle bones scraped against stone as the dead began to rise.

Hollow sockets glowed with sickly green light as skeletal warriors stumbled free, their bony fingers clutching rusted swords and axes.

Jack's fingers curled into fists. "We're in the Tomb of Souls. This is no ordinary trial."

'Escape the Tomb of Souls.'

The voice's final words reverberated in Jack's skull, and his vision flashed briefly with system notifications:

[Escape the Tomb of Souls!]

[Reward: The Lord's Acceptance]

"It's a challenge," Jack growled, dark mana beginning to pool around his fists. "And we don't have a choice but to fight our way out."

"Jack!" Alisha shouted as the skeletons lunged forward, their blades raised.

The green torchlight flickered violently as chaos erupted. Jack surged ahead, shadows coiling around him like living armor as his fists connected with the first wave of undead. Bones shattered and weapons clattered to the ground, but more warriors pressed forward, unrelenting.

"Alisha, Nephris!" Jack barked.

"Focus on crowd control! Don't let them surround us!"

Alisha lifted her staff, shouting an incantation. A barrier of golden light flared into existence, pushing back the nearest wave of undead.

Nephris darted to the side, her daggers flashing as she struck at joints and weak points, toppling skeletons with surgical precision.

Jack's eyes narrowed on the altar.

'The energy's coming from there. If I destroy it…'

With a surge of determination, he barreled forward, cutting through the throng of enemies with explosive bursts of shadow energy.

Each strike sent ripples through the undead ranks, but they continued to rise, clawing their way back to their feet.

'Time's running out.'

The trial had begun, and the real fight was only just starting.