Necromancer 59

Test

59. Encounter

"They're here."

We took position atop the hill, bracing for the demon army's advance.

As reported, their numbers were about 500.

Ten of them were mid-tier demons, though――.

"First, we'll thin them out with a wide-range bombardment. The mid-tier ones won't fall in a single strike, but we might be able to wipe out the lower-tier ones in bulk."

I shared the plan with everyone.

"Come forth, Red Mage."

Before me, a mage clad in crimson robes appeared.

"Incinerate them with fire attacks."

Whoosh.

The Red Mage raised her staff, eyes gleaming from beneath the hood.

Boom!

A fireball shot out from the tip of the staff.

And then,

Boom!

Boom!

Booooom!

Countless fireballs were launched in succession.

The lower-tier demons were no match for my servant.

In mere moments, over 400 of them were halved.

"Curse you, humans..."

From among the demon horde, ten figures stepped forward.

The rest of the demons retreated behind them.

They intend to conserve their lower-tier forces and fight with just the mid-tier ones.

――That works better for us.

"Come forth, Mirage, Swordsman, Reaper, Assault Rhino, Blood Claw."

I summoned all my servants at once.

"Ugh…!?"

For a moment, I felt light-headed.

What… is this――?

Could it be that summoning all my servants at once drains a significant amount of stamina?

It didn't feel like this the last time I called them all forth.

But this is mid-battle, and my mental state is different from back then.

Also, after ordering the Red Mage's wide-range bombardment,

my stamina might be depleting faster than before.

In any case, rather than launching an all-out attack immediately,

it’s better to assess the situation first.

"Mirage, Reaper, and Blood Claw. You three at the front. The others, provide support."

I gave my orders.

Then I unsheathed my own sword.

"We're all going to win this together."

Slash!

Thud!

Crunch!

The sounds of slashing, pounding, flesh bursting, and bones shattering filled the air.

"This... is――"

I stood there, stunned.

They're strong…!

My servants were far stronger than I had expected.

Their power had greatly increased since before.

They effortlessly crushed the ten mid-tier demons.

"Annihilated… all of them."

Yes, within less than five minutes, the front-liners Mirage, Reaper, and Blood Claw wreaked havoc,

leaving every mid-tier demon defeated and lifeless on the ground.

"…Let’s clean up the remaining lower-tier ones."

I swallowed hard and gave the order to my servants.

"However, since my stamina seems directly tied to their energy use, avoid high-energy skills as much as possible. Stick to basic attacks if you can."

And, just as expected, the lower-tier demons were no match for me or my servants.

The demon subjugation ended in a completely unexpected landslide victory.

I realized that with my presence alone, an entire army of demons could be destroyed.

At least, that was the result.