Stygian Mage

Soren waited there for the Beasts to arrive and it didn’t take long. It had been a while since the first Beast had called them after all. By the time the ice arrow stuck in his Undead Crocotta’s face melted, they had arrived.

5 Crocottas slowly walked through the dense bushes, growling and snarling in deep and low voices. They had already spotted Soren and such were already in their battle stance.

GRRR!!

GROWL!!

GRRRR!!

“Rank 0: Layer 8”

“Rank 0: Layer 7”

“Rank 0: Layer 8”

“Rank 0: Layer 9”

“Rank 0: Layer 8”

Soren did a quick scan to find their levels.

Looking at the result made him a little apprehensive as there was even a Layer 9 Beast in this group. Although it wasn’t outside his calculations, this was nonetheless an unfavorable situation for him. But with a simple mindset of ‘hoping for the best and prepared for the worst’, he was ready to face them. He had already repaired his Spell Vessel during the wait and his Mana had also slightly recovered so he was in as good condition as he could be for this fight. Another fact that supported him was that as his Undead’s got stronger together with him, their lifespan also increased. They could stay ‘alive’ for much longer now and became much more useful for many situations.

The Beasts slowly spread out in a fan shape, seemingly trying to surround Soren. But Soren didn’t want to let that happen so he quickly ordered his Undeads to begin the battle.

ROAR!!!

His Undead Crocotta roared and rushed towards the Beast with the Layer 9 cultivation level on his orders. Soren wanted to take whatever advantage he could of the fact that they were of the same species and the same group. And of course, the Beasts got flustered upon seeing their own brother rushing towards them, looking like that with a hole in its face.

But they were also wild predators and had spent their whole life in the cruel jungle. And so, they recovered very quickly.

The Undead Crocotta rushed in and engaged the Layer 9 Beast, making it quite hard for that Beast to help its brethren.

The Wraiths also moved out on Soren’s command and rushed towards the Beasts. Their attack method was fairly different though. They rushed towards the Beasts that were dashing towards Soren, and—phased through them.

There were only two Weak Wraiths, so at first, they phased through only two Beasts but then they quickly rushed towards the others and did the same thing. Even Soren was a little surprised when he saw the effect his Wraiths had on the Beasts.

After getting ‘attacked’ by the Wraiths, the Beasts looked like they were drunk. They all tripped and fell down while dashing towards Soren on their own. Whimpering voices could be heard from their mouths as they struggle to get up.

This was the Soul Attack that Soren’s Weak Wraiths could do. Since they were intangible, physical attacks had no relation to them. They could neither take any damage from physical attacks nor could they do any damage from physical attacks. All they could do was Soul Magic and Soul Attack. But at this point, their Soul Attack was very weak and the most it could do was give someone’s Soul a jolt and shake their mind. This could indeed act as a method to stop the enemy in their tracks but at its current level, the effect didn’t stay for long.

And as to prove that specific point, the Beasts slowly got back up on their feet and started rushing towards their target again. They were still a little unstable but were getting better as time passed.

Soren saw this as he quickly backed off a few steps to create some distance between them. He then cast <Dark Bolt> and aimed towards the weakest Beast amongst the group.

Swoosh!

The Dark Bolt rushed towards the Beast that was still a little unstable from the effect of the Wraith’s Soul Attack. But as the Bolt reached the target’s proximity, another Beast, which had recovered quite a bit, howled and tackled the weakest Beast; pushing it out of the Spell’s way.

This action made Soren raise his eyebrows in surprise. He was not expecting this kind of action from these Beasts. His calculations were based on the actions of first Crocotta he met and it seemed he was wrong about some stuff.

Nonetheless, he continued his battle. This time he casted <Shadow Chain> and aimed at the Beast which had just pushed that weakest one.

The black chain came out from the shadow and rushed towards the Beast at a high speed. But its speed was still not at that level where the Beast couldn’t dodge it.

And indeed, the Beast saw the Spell coming towards it and tried to move away from the chain’s path….

But suddenly, the two Wraiths once again attacked and phased through the 4 Beasts, giving them another Soul Shock. The Beasts had already suffered from this once, so this time, it was not that effective. This was why Soren couldn’t use this continually; the effect of this Soul Attack decreased if someone was aware of it and was on alert. It would still affect them but their recovery time would decrease every time they experienced it.

But even then, it was more than enough to stop them for one moment. And that was all that mattered.

Roar!!

A roar sounded out as the Shadow Chain pierced the Beast’s shoulder and entangled its body. Seeing that this part of his plan worked, Soren quickly moved on to the next.

While the Beasts were still under the effect of the Soul Shock, he quickly cast <Ice Arrow> multiple times and hurled all of it towards them at once.

Swoosh!!

Swoosh!!

Swoosh!!

This time, he didn’t explode those ice arrows. He made a small shower of ice arrows and let it all attack the Beasts. The Beasts had almost recovered by now, so when they saw the Spells coming towards them, they quickly tried to move aside; some Beasts growling; some whimpering. The Soul Shock had given them a lot of trouble but nonetheless, they dodged the ice arrow that was meant for them…..except for one.

Soren had never intended for every Ice arrow to hit its target. He just needed the other Beasts to move away and not be able to help the one which was entangled.

Thud! Thud!!

Three ice arrows pierced the Beasts that was entangled by the Shadow Chain and died almost at that moment. Its dying moan fell into Soren’s ears like music.

The other ice arrows pierced the ground around the Beasts but didn’t do any damage to them. Soren didn’t really care for that though. He wasn’t expecting them to hit their target anyway.

As the Beast died, Soren quickly cast <Dead Rising> and together with the black mist, the dead Beast slowly stood up; the shadow chains slowly dispersing and the ice arrows still sticking deep inside it.

That Beast was one of the Layer 8 Beasts.

The other Beasts had already recovered and were now growling towards the new Undead Crocotta and Soren. One of the three Beasts rushed towards the Undead Crocotta and the remaining two rushed towards Soren.

He knew that the Weak Wraiths wouldn’t have much effect now as the Beasts were already prepared for it, so he just made them go and help the first Undead Crocotta; it was the one who was constantly keeping the Layer 9 Beast busy.

Although Soren was already aware that his assortment of Spells was not enough, these situations were the times when he really felt it. He knew that he desperately needed a Spell for Crowd Control; now more than ever. His Undeads were actually more than qualified to be used as a Crowd Controlling method, but until he made that Spell an Innate Spell, it was not that useful when fighting against multiple enemies.

Knowing that fact, Soren was already prepared and had repaired his Spell Vessel. He was running slightly low on Mana but he had enough to cast a few more Spells.

Create Undead!

Black mist, once again, flew around him as a Rotten Zombie slowly took its form in front of him. After creating the Zombie, Soren backed off a few steps again to create some distance. He didn’t know if the Rotten Zombie could stop both the Beasts but he was prepared to deal with the situation even if it couldn’t. His Mana decreased even more after this cast but he still had enough to cast some of the Spells that didn’t cost much Mana.

So, he started casting <Ice Arrow> a few times and let them float in front of him. This was his final tactic. He didn’t want to use this as it took a toll on him and he wasn’t ready for it yet, but he didn’t have any choice now.

As he had expected, the Zombie could only stop one of the Beast; letting the other one through, which dashed towards Soren at a high speed while growling in a deep voice. Its eyes were shining with a murderous light as it showed its dirty teeth while snarling. It only had one thing on its mind now—crushing Soren’s throat with its strong jaws and teeth.

Soren was still casting his Spell so he couldn’t help but get slightly flustered when he saw the Beast’s eyes as it dashed towards him. But he didn’t lose his calm and swiftly finished his casting. The temperature around him went down sharply as 6 ice arrows floated in front of him. He had used up almost half of his remaining Mana reserve. With the remaining Mana he had, the only Spell he could cast now was <Ice Arrow>. This Spell was also the one he was really experienced in.

The first Undead Crocotta, together with the Wraiths, was winning against the Layer 9 Crocotta. The second and the third battle area were currently in a stalemate situation. Though, Soren’s second Undead Crocotta was dominating against the Beast as it fought without any regards for itself. Same was the case with the third battle area but as the Rotten Zombie was quite slow, all it could do was keep the Beast busy and defend against its attacks.

Soren quickly took a glance at the other battle areas and then focused back on the Beast that was running towards him to tear him apart; its body now radiating with its intent to kill.

Soren took a deep breath and pushed his palm left forwards, hurling two of the ice arrows towards the Beast. His eyes made it so that Soren could see everything about the Beast in almost slow motion. He focused hard on the Beast and waited for it to dodge. The strain on his eyes made them turn red but Soren didn’t care for that now.

The Beast saw the ice arrows coming towards it and easily dodged it towards the side, but just at that moment..…

As the Beast had thought that it had already dodged the ice arrows—they suddenly changed their directions and pierced the Beast’s head and chest with a heavy and dull sound.

Growl!

A weak growling voice came out of the Beast as it got dragged on the ground due to inertia. Its blood mixed with dirt and soil and soon froze into brownish-red ice.

Soren’s increase in his Spellcasting ability had resulted in the ice arrow’s temperature to decrease sharply, and now it could kill someone just with its temperature.

“Ugh…”

Soren held his head and groaned in pain. Controlling a Spell projectile after releasing them took a heavy toll on him and this time, he had controlled two of them. Warm blood started dripping from his nose and dropped to the ground after passing through his chin. He could taste the iron in his blood when it got into his mouth. This metal taste was something he actually didn’t dislike, but he couldn’t think about such things at this moment.

Soren felt a little dizziness and had to use his staff as a support to keep standing. His feet were slightly unstable right now and he also felt like throwing up. The side effects of using this method had surpassed what he had expected. This technique had become something like a double-edged sword for him.

But regardless, he controlled the side effects and tried to focus on the battle first.

Only three Beasts were left alive right now and all of them were already engaging with Soren’s Undeads. He also had a few ice arrows still floating in front of him.

Deciding on his next course of action, he slowly started walking towards the battle area where his Rotten Zombie was keeping that Beast busy. The Zombie and the Beast were in a stalemate situation but the Zombie was barely able to maintain the status quo due to its high defense; or more like its disregard for life. This was a trait that all Undeads shared.

Soren walked using his staff as a support and came near them. He then ordered the Rotten Zombie to hold the Beast down for a few seconds.

Of course, he didn’t have to say his orders out loud for his Undeads; as his Mana was their Soul and his command was their Will.

The Rotten Zombie, disregarding the damage to itself, jumped towards the Beast. The Beast growled in response, backed off and dodged while using its strong jaw to bite the Zombie’s thighs; almost breaking it in half. The Rotten Zombie didn’t care one bit about the damage and just let the Beast bite itself. It then roared, showing its decayed teeth and what was left of it, and held the Beast’s neck tightly under its armpit; locking it in place.

Soren was really impressed by his own Undead; it was like seeing his own son surpassing his expectations. Then, without waiting, he released one of the ice arrows and hurled it towards the Beast’s head which was under the Zombie’s armpit.

Swoosh!!

Thud!

A dull sound resounded as the ice arrow pierced deep into the Beast’s head, killing it in the process. Red ice fell down on the ground once again, together with the Beast’s body as the Rotten Zombie let it go. The Beast was still biting the Zombie’s leg though, so that made the Zombie fall down together with it.

Soren watched the whole scene and then went off towards the other battle area; still using his staff as a support while giving the Rotten Zombie the order to follow him. The Zombie roared in response and pulled hard—breaking its own leg into two in the process. It then dragged itself using its hands towards its Master.

One person walking with the support of a staff and one Zombie dragging itself on the ground using its hands—walked towards the second battle area.

……..

The Undead Crocotta had the upper hand in the next battle area. It was an Undead and was fighting without any regards to itself while its opponent was a living being. The Beasts saw Soren walking towards them with the Zombie dragging itself on the ground and got flustered.

It quickly started backing off and looked like it wanted to run. Soren didn’t stop it though and just made his Undead attack it together. The Beast quickly glanced at its dead brethren and then looked at their leader. The despair in its eyes got stronger and it finally decided to run off.

Soren didn’t make any move to stop it as he wasn’t in his perfect condition either. He simply watched the Beast run away and then focused on the next battlefield.

The situation there was slightly better as the combination of the Wraiths and the Undead Crocotta had the Beast with Layer 9 cultivation level constantly on its defense. Soren slowly started walking towards them while giving out his orders to his Undeads.

The Rotten Zombie then climbed on the Undead Crocotta and they both followed their Master.

Soren didn’t interfere in the battle directly and just made his other Undeads join in while thinking of a way to use the remaining ice arrows that were still floating in front of him. He had already mastered this Spell and was capable enough to maintain it for a long time without firing them. Of course, it was not without a price as it took a toll on his Mana reserve and his mind.

Right now, he was forcing himself to maintain the Spell as he was not confident enough to cast them again if he were to disperse them. He had enough Mana to cast them again but his mind was in no shape to do so; the side effects of controlling the Spell Projectile still hadn’t faded away.

After the Undeads gathered together and attacked the Beast, the battle slowly started coming to an end. But still, it had quite a high cultivation level so it was not going to die so easily. Most importantly, Soren wanted to kill this one and not let it run away. For that, he had to end its life in one shot.

The Undeads slowly surrounded the Beast on Soren’s order. This was not enough to stop it from running though; if it wanted to.

GRRR!!!

GROWL!!!

The Beast growled and roared towards Soren as it had recognized the one who was controlling everything. The Beast was very angry and very desperate. It had lost almost all his pack-mates and the only one left alive had run away. It wanted to kill Soren, using its jaw to crush Soren’s soft and weak throat or its teeth to shatter his skull. It wanted to taste its enemy’s blood….but alas its hope was doomed to be crushed.

The combination of the Undeads made the Beast quite desperate as it kept getting injured and was getting quite weak from all the injuries and the blood loss. Its vision had turned red from the blood falling in its eyes and it was now thinking of escaping.

Soren knew that the Beast was at its end now. He now somehow had to stop the Beast from running and kill it in one shot. He wasn’t in a very good shape himself so he had to tread carefully here. The only way he could kill the Beast in one shot was something that damaged him too, so he had to think about it carefully.

Finally, he thought of something and then decided to gamble on this one shot. If he failed, he would just chuck it up on bad luck and move on.

He wasn’t planning to control his Spell projectile this time; that would really injure him severely if he was to use it in succession. He made a plan in his mind and swiftly gave out the orders to his Undeads.

Roar!!

Growl!

Roar!!

Few deep roars followed as his Undead roared in response. They soon got into position and started attacking the Beast together. They all attacked from certain directions as Soren sent one of his ice arrows towards the Beast, but at a slightly slower speed.

ROAR!!!

As the Beast saw the attacks coming from all the directions, it roared in a threatening manner and then…decided to run away. It quickly scanned its surrounding and decided on a route that seemed to be the only way it could get out of this encirclement.

Growl!!

It growled once more and dashed off in that direction. The moment the Beast had decided to run away, Soren released his last ice arrow but with a much higher speed and at a certain angle. He was making a gamble right now; a gamble based on his ‘Powered Vision’ and his calculations.

The Beast chose the only direction it felt was the best and dashed off. The first arrow was already very near to it when it ran off, but the next moment, something weird happened that could have surprised many if they were to witness it.

The second ice arrow with its high speed was seemingly moving on the same trajectory as the first one, and as they had a difference in speed, they soon collided with each other. The second arrow suddenly changed its alignment upon the collision and then rushed towards a certain direction. That direction was the one where Soren had purposely created a gap using his Undeads, and it was also the direction that the Beast had chosen for his escape route.

Thud!!

Again, a dull sound resounded. The Beast didn’t even have a chance to witness what killed it as the ice arrow pierced the back of its head with a heavy force, killing it one shot.

Red crystal flower bloomed as the blood froze because of the ice arrow. The Beast fell down on the ground and got dragged on the ground because of inertia; finally coming to a stop after a certain distance.

……..

Soren released a long breath after confirming that the Beast had died. Before the battle, he had never expected that he would have such a hard time fighting off just five Beasts at once. He thought that if he could do enough preparations, he would be able to kill them in a short time and without wasting much effort.

But the reality was different.

It seemed that he had been underestimating them or….overestimating himself.

He still won though. He was going to live and see another day.

He looked up and tried to gaze at the sky with his tired eyes. The leaves from the trees had covered the whole sky but the sunlight still passed through the gaps between them and fell on Soren’s face. He felt the warmth of the sun on his face as his eyes reflected the pale sunlight. Right now, his dark and tired eyes seemed more alive than ever. A small smile formed on his lips as his desire to live deepened even further.