Chapter 6

As night fell, Shuu decided to hunt undead monsters at the cemetery once again. His magic training was starting to take shape, and he was beginning to think about finding a more efficient hunting ground.

During the day, while hiding in the ground and listening to the conversations of humans, he had gathered some information. It seemed that the cemetery was also the burial site for magical knights who had died in battle, and he was able to obtain information about where they had died. From this, he could predict the strength of the monsters in those areas and use it as a reference for his destination.

(Well, that's assuming I can complete it.)

Shuu began searching for prey to gather magic power. Ideally, he wanted to encounter a mid-level monster, but he wasn't expecting to find one since they were rare. As he hunted a few undead monsters, he suddenly felt a sense of unease.

(Did something just pass by?)

He felt a wave of magic power pass by at high speed. It wasn't something he could dismiss as a mere feeling, so he looked around. But there was nothing.

(What was that?)

Then, a second sense of unease. He felt the magic power the moment he tilted his head. Something was definitely happening. Realizing this, Shuu became alert and focused on his magic perception. He also tried to see as far as possible using the light of the stars and the moon, searching for anything unusual.

He soon found it.

(Is that the light of a lantern? A human at this hour? Why?)

No one would come to a cemetery at night where monsters appeared. If anyone did, it would be a magical knight occasionally dispatched to exterminate monsters. And since a magical knight had just been there the day before, Shuu knew they wouldn't come two days in a row. This made him suspicious.

(Should I run just to be safe?)

The lantern light was approaching. Shuu started to move away from it. However, he felt the mysterious unease for the third time. At the same moment, the lantern light began to head in his direction. Shuu started to realize what was causing the unease.

(Could it be a detection spell or magical equipment? If so, I'm in trouble.)

He didn't know how wide an area they could detect, but if he stayed, he wouldn't be able to escape. He considered deploying a large-scale magic array as a bluff, but knew it wouldn't work more than once, so he dismissed the idea. Judging from the number of lanterns, there were six people. He was at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. Moreover, they were intelligent humans, not monsters, which added an unpredictable element.

(…Can I counter with this?)

If he was lucky, he could win instantly. If not, he might be the one killed. It was a delicate situation. However, he didn't think he could escape the slow-moving nightmare spirits. The six humans were approaching at a speed similar to a car. Ultimately, it was just a matter of whether they would catch up sooner or later. Shuu decided to wait and prepare.

(I'm not just going to wait. I'll prepare.)

His ideal plan was to use a surprise magic attack to take them all out. Failing that, he aimed to kill at least four of them.

(Here they come.)

Six humans surrounded the floating Shuu, each with a lantern-like object hanging from their waist. In fact, these were magical devices, but Shuu didn't have the knowledge to distinguish them. One of the six took out a spear from nowhere and readied it.

"Is this it?"

"Yes, Captain Zek. This spirit is the strongest monster in the cemetery. My detection is never wrong."

"The unique individual found in the Dark Forest was a high-level spirit. It must have evolved."

The humans mistook the nightmare spirit for a regular spirit, but Shuu didn't care. He immediately deployed the prepared magic and launched a surprise attack.

(Activate, *Void Slash Field*.)

A magic array centered on Shuu expanded rapidly, encompassing the six humans. Only the man called Zek reacted in time, reinforcing his body and jumping back.

"Ah!"

"Ugh…"

"Ah…aaaaah!"

"Ugh…"

"No, no, ugh…"

The five humans left in the magic array were instantly cut in half. The *Void Slash Field* was an advanced form of disintegration magic. It created a field as thin as a single atom and broke molecular bonds to cut through the target. The key was to activate the magic inside the body. However, the magic power of living beings could interfere with the effect. To counter this, Shuu combined it with the spell *Life Drain*, which absorbed the magic power in the thin field. This allowed the *Void Slash Field* to complete its function.

(One got away. Did he notice?)

The magic power he had used was replenished by absorbing the five humans, and he gained even more. They must have been quite powerful. This was fortunate.

(The *Void Slash Field* was likely seen through.)

Another weakness of the spell was that it could be detected by magic perception. It consumed a lot of magic power just before activation, allowing the target to dodge reflexively. Additionally, it wouldn't work on someone with enough magic power to resist the *Life Drain*.

(With only one left, I can't escape…)

Shuu thought about running after achieving his goal, but Zek had no intention of letting him go. After a brief moment of shock at the instant deaths of his comrades, Zek recovered and showed a look of anger.

"You, you…!"

(He has more magic power than I do now.)

Zek roared in anger and raised his spear. It glowed white and split into many pieces, floating in the air. If they rained down like rain, it would be very dangerous.

"Avenger of my comrades! This holy knight, Zek Barat, will surely slay you! Prepare yourself, spirit!"

Fortunately, Shuu had plenty of magic power. He drew an acceleration magic array and manipulated the vector. This was a one-time trick, so it wouldn't work again. To ensure a kill, he changed the direction, not just the reflection. Changing the vector's direction required a mathematical element, a three-dimensional rotation matrix. This was a high-level magic array even for Shuu.

(Here it comes!)

Several of the split spears penetrated the shield-like magic array and pierced Shuu's body. They were not purely physical but magical attacks, so they bypassed the physical resistance. Even a few hits opened large holes in Shuu's body.

(Activate, acceleration magic array!)

However, as a spirit, he didn't feel pain. The magic array activated a moment later, deflecting the descending spears. The spears changed direction and all rushed toward Zek.

"Ugh!? Why…"

With that final cry, Zek was instantly minced and died. Shuu absorbed a large amount of magic power from him. As an A-rank magical knight, Zek had a significant amount of magic power. The five B-rank magical knights combined were only on par with Zek. Thus, Shuu gained the equivalent of two A-rank magical knights. His injured spirit body was instantly repaired, and he evolved. The transformation from mid-level to high-level was significant, and his appearance changed dramatically. Shuu could now materialize in addition to his semi-transparent spirit form.

(…Phew. I was surprised by the sudden influx of magic power, but it helped me evolve.)

Shuu had evolved into a spirit, a rare type of monster among spirits. At the high-level class, they were generally strong enough to be barely defeated by B-rank magical knights. However, Shuu, who could use magic intelligently, was an exception. Even with the surprise attack, he had defeated an A-rank magical knight.

However, if Zek had been a different type of magical knight or had used his spear differently, the outcome might have been different. This time, the match was favorable.

(Holy Knight Zek, right? This will cause a stir tomorrow. I should leave early and head to the next destination. They might send someone stronger next time. I won by chance today.)

Shuu was tense, though his body didn't show it. The tension in his mind was suddenly released.

(I'll head to the next destination. It's the Eldera Forest, right? I'll lay low for a while.)

Though he wanted to experience his material form again, it was more convenient to travel as a spirit. Shuu floated and headed south toward the Eldera Forest.

◆◆◆

The next day, the bodies of Holy Knight Zek Barat and his squad were discovered. Zek's body was so mutilated that it was unrecognizable, and the examiners grimaced. The other five holy knights were also found dead in mysterious circumstances. Their bodies were cleanly cut in half, a feat that was extremely difficult to achieve. This was deemed abnormal.

"May the souls of Holy Knight Zek Barat and his comrades return to your throne."

The bishop of the Demon God Cult prayed, sending the souls of the fallen holy knights to the magical god El Magia. Whether such a god truly existed was unknown, but the bishop believed in it. He shed tears and whispered to the god.

"O God, why did you take him away?"

The god did not respond, but the bishop could do nothing but plead. Zek was also his friend.

"I should have taken the prophecy of Sacred Grinia more seriously. If I had sent more holy knights, it might have been different…"

He hated the monster. He hated the monster that killed Zek. The bishop felt a surge of dark emotions, but since the monster was not a being to be pitied, these feelings did not contradict his beliefs.

"I will call for reinforcements and have the cemetery investigated. I will avenge you, Zek."

Unaware that the culprit, Shuu, was already gone, the bishop made his resolve.