Chapter 170-1: The Necromancer (Part 1)

Words : 1260 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

"Can we get more detailed information on the Dark Pact’s power distribution?" After carefully evaluating the power of the Vampires at his command, Li De asked the most crucial question. From Emi’s earlier explanation, the Dark Pact wasn’t an organization with a rigid structure. Rather, it was a loosely organized alliance made up of multiple factions. But precisely because of this looseness, Li De sensed an exploitable weakness. Dark-aligned beings were inherently suspicious; they couldn't possibly trust everyone around them—especially within a loosely structured alliance. Emi nodded. "The Dark Pact consists of several powerful forces. The strongest and most mysterious among them is the President of the Dark Pact—Viscount Berna. He was already the President when I joined the Pact over twenty years ago. In all that time, he’s never once made a move, yet no one dares to question his authority. I suspect he may have already reached the brink of Transcendence." Li De nodded and silently marked him with an "extremely dangerous" tag. A Transcendent—even just near-Transcendent—was more than enough to warrant caution. "The second force is the Evening Bell Church. The Evening Bell Church worships a god of the Abyss—the Tyrant God, Baen. Baen resides in the Abyss and thrives on slaughter, violence, torture, and carnage. He is an extremely evil deity. The Bishop of the Evening Bell Church is the one who helped me become a Shadow Priest. Recently, the church received another divine blessing from Baen. They now have two Level 15 priests—very powerful." "The third is a force from the Abyss—Roy Ackerman, an Eight-Armed Serpent Demon. This Level 16 demon arrived in Green City three years ago. Serpent Demons are considered high-tier demons in the Abyss, and the Eight-Armed ones are royalty among them. Their power is terrifying. Demons are inherently murderous and cruel. Aside from the hidden figures, this Eight-Armed Serpent Demon ranks just below Viscount Berna in combat strength. It’s likely the one that appeared at the gate of the Mage Tower. Serpent Demons love to hunt enemies from the shadows." Thinking back to those cold, sadistic eyes, Li De nodded slightly. Eight-Armed Serpent Demon. He committed the name to memory. Even now, he could still clearly recall the violent killing intent from that day—only an Abyssal Demon could exude such savage brutality. "The fourth is a Level 14 Necromancer," Emi said, his voice heavier now, as if this undead mage was even more concerning than those mentioned before. "This being has lived for an unknown number of years. With so much time on his side, who knows how many trump cards he’s accumulated? And... he possesses a Bone Dragon." Li De’s eyes widened—Bone Dragon? Dragons were always synonymous with power. Even in death, their might was not to be underestimated. What the hell is this lineup?! A near-Transcendent shadowy overlord, evil priests blessed by a Tyrant God, a royal Abyssal Demon, and a Necromancer with a Bone Dragon. This... this is a gathering of monsters! Li De mentally cursed with force. Only because he had the backing of the Vampires and Dawn City could he even consider facing such a force. If it were just the Crimson Mage Tower, there’d be no chance of surviving this. "In addition," Emi added, "Viscount Berna's Chief Guard—a warrior with Northern blood—has also reached Level 16." "The Dark Pact has 12 Vice Presidents in total: Viscount Berna, the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon, two priests from the Evening Bell Church, the Necromancer, the Northern Warrior, me—and five others whose identities remain hidden. Only Viscount Berna knows their true identities. Among them, one or two are likely Level 15 as well." After Emi finished his rundown, Li De took a deep breath. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say this force could destroy the Crimson Mage Tower in an instant—even White Tower, which had far stronger defenses, wouldn’t stand a chance. Even Spark, the Level 19 Grand Mage, couldn’t withstand such overwhelming might alone. A storm was coming. Li De’s thoughts raced. No matter how powerful the enemy, he had to carve a path forward for the Crimson Mage Tower. This was his foundation. After putting so much effort into it, he couldn’t just give it up. Backing down had never been his way. "Where are Odys, Fred, and the others?" All second-generation Vampires had left Dawn City—only Viscount Harrison had stayed behind, even Fred, the Holy Land’s guardian, had come. "They’re hiding in a secret residence I bought previously. The Cyclops and other Vampires are stationed outside Green City—there are too many of them to keep hidden." Li De nodded. "Take me to them." Now was not the time for hesitation. He had to gather every ounce of strength for the coming battle. The Dark Pact had already set their sights on the Crimson Mage Tower. These evil beings would never give up until they got what they wanted. "If we locate the Dark Pact’s hideouts, could we use Green City’s forces against them?" A glint of calculation appeared in Li De’s eyes. Letting others do the dirty work—using the city's power to strike back—wasn’t a bad idea. Just a single Transcendent Mage could destroy the Dark Pact. Emi shook his head. "Lord Progenitor, the Dark Pact’s meeting places are never fixed. Also, the Evening Bell Church provided everyone with teleportation scrolls imbued with the Tyrant God's power. Unless we catch them before they can even activate the scrolls, we won’t be able to do significant damage. More importantly, the upper echelons of Green City are unlikely to fight the Dark Pact outright." A bitter smile crept onto Emi’s face. "Apart from the followers of the God of Fairness and Justice, the nobles won’t act unless forced. As long as these evil forces don’t threaten them or their interests, they won’t lift a finger." Li De was shaken. For the first time, he truly understood how ordinary people viewed the nobility. These damned parasites! He had been too naïve. In his mind, humans and evil beings were eternal enemies—whenever they met, they’d fight to the death. But Emi’s words snapped him back to reality. This wasn’t a fairy tale—it was the real world. Would nobles and powerful mages, who enjoyed their high status, risk everything to battle beings just as strong as themselves? Especially when their own lives or interests weren’t in danger? People were selfish. Outside of the devout believers of the Gods of Light, very few would willingly fight evil. "Also, from what I know, the Dark Pact has business ties with many major merchant guilds and noble houses." "As long as they don’t cross the line, no one will go after them." Li De nodded in bitter understanding. So real... He was sure the city’s elite were aware of the Dark Pact’s existence. But those nobles either didn’t want to offend such a terrifying force, or worse—profited from them. Some might even be members themselves. The Glory Main Plane may worship the Gods of Light, but darkness had never truly disappeared. Li De abandoned the idea of using Green City’s power. He also gained a new understanding of the world’s true nature beneath its glittering surface. Still too young, Li De thought. This plan of borrowing a knife to kill had failed. Nobles who had weathered countless storms weren’t so easily manipulated. No one was a fool. As for the temples—he didn’t want to provoke any groups backed by divine power, especially since he had his own Order now. After a brief discussion, the two left the Elviss Tavern.

Chapter 170-1: The Necromancer (Part 1)

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