The chamber fell into silence which was very heavy and unmoving.
The air itself seemed to wait because how Veyron gave an aura farming dialogue.
At the center of it all stood two figures
One wrapped in shadows which is the shadow necromancer and the the other surrounded by death which is the sovereign bone legion commander Veyron.
And in the middle was Captain Rodric who was acting a Referee "Match Start"
Veyron "Rodric just shut the fuck up and go back".
Kael faced palmed his face.
Let's be serious shall we…
Veyron stepped forward which was slow and measured, this scene will be aura farming moment.
Every step echoed across the stone floor his presence expanding with each movement. The faint remnants of shadow around the chamber trembled due to the aura emitting by Veyron.
The Shadow Necromancer watched him closely, he had hostility towards Veyron and towards Kael too and at the same time he had also had interest towards Veyron because the undead was in human form, but he did not know that was just a polymorph skill.
"…You made it you truly chose him" the necromancer said quietly.
Veyron did not respond, his gaze remained fixed which was cold and unwavering.
Behind them Kael stood still his eyes calm as always but focused, observing, analysing, waiting because this fight was not his but not yet because he needs wclues for this problem to solve, its only halfway done.
Rodric tightened his grip on his sword.
"…We intervene if needed?"
Kael shook his head slightly.
"No not needed, lets test our left-wing commander."
"That means I'm the right-wing commander my majesty"
"Duh, of course who else is there beside you"
Rodric was dancing with joy but didn't show it openly "Thank you my majesty"
"And Veyron asked for this."
Shen Yao exhaled softly.
"…Then let's watch carefully."
It began without warning. The shadows beneath the necromancer's feet surged upward, dozens of tendrils shooting toward Veyron in an instant.
The tendrils was fast, precise and lethal.
But Veyron didn't move back. He stepped forward. Straight into them.
Dark energy exploded outward from his body. The tendrils shattered on contact and disintegrating into fragments of unstable shadow.
The necromancer's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Oh, you suppress them amazing makes sense when you have the death energy yourself, but let's see who has strongest death energy"
The shadow necromancer thought 'I need to finish this quickly because there are still two more to face and if I capture this undead human guy and control him and then easily I can defeat those two'
Veyron finally spoke.
"Your shadow control is incomplete in nature."
Then he moved which was faster than before.
His figure blurred closing the distance instantly. His blade formed mid-motion and a weapon of condensed death energy was formed and it struck the necromancer.
The necromancer reacted just in time. The ground beneath him split and a wall of shadows rising to intercept the blow.
The impact shook the chamber. The wall cracked but it held the impact but not for too long.
For a moment the shadow barrier which was created it broke and the force pushed the necromancer back several steps. His feet dragged across the ground, shadows stabilizing him before he lost balance completely.
"…Impressive, seeing you how you fight I need you more!!."
But there was no fear in his voice only the acknowledgment towards Veyron.
Then he raised his hand. The chamber responded to his summons and the shadows flooded the space from walls, from floor, from every crack and corner they gathered and condensed to form shapes, figures and there were dozens of them in humanoid form which was distorted.
Rodric's expression hardened.
"…More summons."
Kael and Shen Yao shook their head slightly.
"Yes, but they are lot more denser."
The necromancer spoke softly.
"They are not merely the fragments of shadows."
His gaze sharpened.
"They are memories of the people which I have collected."
The figures moved in a coordinated manner to where Veyron stood still.
Veyron was still watching and then he raised his hand and the air around him and also in the chamber suddenly dropped and a pressure unlike before filled the chamber.
Rodric felt it immediately.
"…What is that…?"
Shen Yao's eyes widened slightly.
"…His authority."
Veyron's voice echoed was cold and absolute "Undead do not answer to shadows."
The figures stopped mid-motion and was frozen.
Then they all collapsed all at once disintegrating into nothing.
The necromancer's expression finally shifted slightly.
"…So that is your nature of the undead race."
Behind them Kael's gaze never left the necromancer.
Something about him didn't sit right. Not only just his power but his also control over the shadow energy, but his presence tell something different.
"…Something's off" Kael muttered.
Shen Yao glanced at him "You noticed it too?"
Kael nodded but he didn't answer.
Instead, he activated the appraisal talent.
[Authority Activated: Appraisal]
The screen appeared which was clear and detailed and the moment Kael read it, his eyes narrowed.
[Target Identified]
Name: Halven Dros
Title: Mayor of Eastern Region
Level: 171
Secondary Title: Shadow Necromancer
Type: Human (Corrupted)
Rank: A
Description: A former regional administrator who has been corrupted through prolonged exposure to forbidden shadow necromancy. Maintains dual identity. Uses shadow constructs to harvest life energy for ritual progression.
Status: Physically unstable, mind partially corrupted, sustained by external shadow source
Threat Level: High]
Kael's gaze hardened "…So that's what you are."
Shen Yao noticed immediately "What is it?"
Kael spoke quietly "…He is the mayor of this eastern region."
A pause.
Shen Yao's eyes widened.
"…What?"
Rodric glanced back briefly.
"The one responsible for this region?"
Kael nodded once.
"Yes."
Then his gaze returned to the battlefield "…And the one who caused all of this."
The necromancer raised both hands and this time the shadows didn't scatter, they condensed, pulling inward and compressing.
Until they formed a single massive shadow body. A towering figure made entirely of dense shadow which was larger, heavier and looked more stable.
The large, massive shadow entity moved. Each step shaking the ground.
Veyron didn't hesitate this time he stepped forward meeting it head-on.
The shadow entities' arm came down crushing force behind it, but Veyron raised his hand and stopped it. The impact cracked the ground beneath him, but he held it with all his might
Then he pushed it upwards and the entities started to stagger and for the first time the necromancer's expression tightened because he had used every mana to this massive entity.
Seeing the right moment Veyron moved faster and stronger and his attacks were no longer as a blade to attack but this time it was decisive.
Each strike tore through the shadow entity breaking it apart piece by piece.
The shadows tried to reform but couldn't keep up.
Rodric watched closely "…He's overwhelming it."
Shen Yao nodded. "…Because this isn't just strength."
"It's control."
The final strike landed which was clean and direct and the entity shattered completely, and all the shadows collapsed and gone.
The chamber fell silent again, the necromancer stood alone now, breathing heavier and Unstable because all his mana was drained and now, he had only to use physical attacks which every necromancer was weak in it.
Veyron stepped forward slowly and closing the distance.
The necromancer didn't move.
"…So, this is the end."
His voice was calm.
Almost… relieved.
Kael stepped forward.
Rodric and Shen Yao followed.
"…Halven Dros."
The necromancer's eyes flickered.
"…How? So, you found out."
Kael stopped a few steps away.
"Halven Dros you are the mayor for this eastern region."
"All the people living here depend on you and you did this."
Silence.
Then A quiet laugh "…Yes."
There were no denial and excuse to his crimes which he has committed but this was the truth.
Kael's voice remained steady.
"Why?"
The necromancer looked at him.
Really looked for the first time.
"…Because I had to do this."
Shen Yao frowned.
"No one has to do this."
The necromancer shook his head slowly.
"You don't understand my pain and what am I going through."
His gaze drifted slightly.
"…I had a wife who died long back, but I had a beautiful daughter and I raised her for 4 years."
A pause.
"But my daughter had a disease which was which was not curable and it was draining her vitality every day and I consulted every doctor around the kingdom but it was not curable at all, but suddenly there was a rumour that my daughter is cursed, idk who spread that rumour and you know what those people did they dragged my daughter and burned her alive!!!!!"
Rodric's expression hardened.
"I was devastated, I decided my revenge on this people, but I could not do it legally because what they thought was right for them"
"And I gave a formal complaint to the court, but what I got the response was 'Yes your daughter was cursed and should be burned'"
"I didn't understand anything why they are doing this and why my daughter had to face all this, I have failed to be a husband and also as a father".
Kael didn't speak.
He listened.
"So in under depression I searched for the answers on how to revive my daughter and also kill all these people whom I gave my life to"
His gaze darkened slightly.
"And I found them."
Kael's voice lowered.
"…Shadow necromancy."
Halven nodded.
"Yes."
"When I researched, I killed a rat and made that as primary sample and killed dozens of rat and made them into a shadow and extracted their souls and redirected to the primary sample and what you know the rat was raised from dead and I was shocked but it only lived for a short moment but it it worked."
"I could contain it, control it."
"Then I thought my daughter can be lived once again, so out of revenge I kidnapped the people and killed them and made them into shadows and extracted their souls but I needed atleast of 1000 people and I was not yet finished, but you came and disrupted all my plans why I just want to see my daughter for once only for a short moment"
Halven Dros started crying his lungs out.
"And when I saw your subordinate who was undead and also in human form, how did you do it and how did you achieve it? Tell me how many you killed to achieve this feat was it 1000, was it 10000, was it 1 million?"
Kael thought 'how am I supposed to explain to him that Veyron has a polymorph skill and it was reward given to him by the tower'
Kael was silent the whole time.
"I'm sorry this happened to you and to your daughter, yes what the people have done was totally wrong but you also know that what you have done right, as a mayor I don't need to explain it to you and what major crimes you have done"
"You lost your daughter to ignorance and fear."
"And in return you spread fear across an entire region."
His eyes sharpened.
"You wanted justice, but you chose vengeance."
"You wanted to save one life and you took hundreds."
Halven's breathing grew uneven.
Kael didn't stop.
"You say you had no choice."
A faint shake of his head.
"No."
"You had a choice every single time you took a life."
"Every. Single. Time."
The words landed heavily.
"You could have exposed the truth, yes you did but it was not enough"
"You could have brought their crimes to light."
"You could have fought the system…"
"…instead you abandoned it."
Kael's voice lowered not softer but colder.
"And the moment you chose to sacrifice innocent lives you stopped being a father seeking justice."
"You became the very thing that took your daughter from you."
Halven froze.
Kael's gaze softened just slightly.
"I understand your pain."
"But a king does not judge based on pain."
"He judges based on what must be protected."
His presence felt heavier now like the weight of an entire kingdom stood behind him.
"If I forgive you, I tell this world that grief is enough to justify slaughter."
"If I spare you, I betray every innocent life you've taken."
A step closer.
"And if I allow this then tomorrow another man will burn a city for someone he lost and call it love."
"So hear me clearly Halven Dros."
"You were wronged but you chose to become a monster."
"And as king"
Kael's voice became absolute.
"I cannot allow monsters to rule over the innocent."
That answer didn't shake.
For a moment Halven said nothing.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"Then you are better than me my king, I'm sorry, I'm sorry to the subjects and I'm sorry my daughter I'm sorry".
"Please end me my king".
Kael turned slightly.
"Veyron."
Veyron stepped forward.
Halven didn't resist and he didn't move and didn't try to escape.
He simply stood there.
"…Will it hurt?" he asked quietly.
Veyron didn't answer.
Halven smiled faintly.
"…Good."
"…Then it's over."
His eyes closed.
For a brief moment he looked… peaceful.
Then Veyron's hand moved. Dark energy surged. Veyron strike was clean, precise and final.
Halven's body went still. The shadows around him faded slowly and until nothing remained.
Silence. The chamber was quiet again.
The problem was solved.
Rodric exhaled.
"…It's done."
Shen Yao crossed his arms.
"…Not entirely."
Kael didn't speak.
His gaze remained on where Halven had stood.
A few seconds passed.
Then something changed.
Behind him Veyron staggered slightly. Kael turned instantly.
"…Veyron?"
Veyron didn't respond.
His body was changing. Dark energy pulsed uncontrollably from within him. Stronger than before, denser and started to be unstable.
Rodric stepped forward.
"What's happening to him?"
Shen Yao's expression turned serious.
"…That necromancer."
"…Something transferred to Veyron"
Veyron's form flickered slightly it did not look like he was breaking but he was evolving.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"…This isn't normal."
The energy surged again. Stronger this time. The chamber trembled.
Veyron dropped to one knee.
For the first time he showed strain.
Kael stepped closer.
"…Hold it together Veyron."
Veyron didn't respond. But his grip tightened. Veyron was trying to fight the shadows around him and he began to react once again.
Shen Yao spoke quietly.
"…This might not be a problem."
"…It might be an evolution."
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"…Or something worse."
The energy pulsed again brighter, darker and heavier.
And then everything froze.
For a single moment there was absolute stillness.
Before whatever was happening it fully began to erupt.