In the dark bone refinery, an eerie purple electric soulfire slowly fades. With each passing second, the images of depraved beast souls burning while screaming in agony and despair overlapped one after another. The burning souls become translucent until all of its essence is used to fuel the refinement process of a mechanical body.

While sitting in a fetal position, the body looks human-like but it has a very unhealthy skin complexion. Most parts of the body were covered by tattoos having similar designs compared to body runes, but the aesthetic focus of the body runes lean towards functionality instead of beauty. Geometric shapes linked by smooth lines connected each other, they were more like electronic circuits imprinted on the skin instead of proper body runes.

“Installation of Wisdom Crystal Processor… successful. Beginning the last phase of the assembly: injecting liquid metal blood into the pseudo veins…” Kasumi took out a tube from a special storage box made out of lightning-path beast bones.

The silvery liquid metal blood within the tube looks like mercury, a heavy metal from Holy Terra. Although it looks liquid, it was actually made out of fine sand-like nanoscopic entities that freely swam on top of each other. Possessing the shape of a virus, these nano-constructs are nanomachines who have the ability to devour energy and certain types of matter to replicate itself to a certain limit.

Due to its alternating ‘viscosity’, it was more fitting to call these non-Newtonian fluids rather than true liquid metal.

To refine these nanomachines, Kasumi expended an obscene amount of raw materials. The first generations of nanobots were each assembled telepathically, the task was exhausting and difficult but she finally succeeded. To ‘breed’ them up to this number, Kasumi sacrificed more than half of her slime mass since most rank 0 metals in her possession are insufficient for the nanomachines to clone itself.

Therefore, Kasumi’s current form was hollow. The process from injection until the nanomachines saturated the whole body took over half an hour but it was successful. 

“Kasumi, the invaders have killed Kor. They are currently fighting Ymir and Grem. How long do you need until main soul regains consciousness?” Nyx rushed from outside the room, his mannerism expressed urgency. He locked the makeshift door to the bone refinery to the best of his abilities.

“Tsk. He needs a few more hours. Right now, main soul is compiling an operation system and setting up parameters for his new body. Delay them even if it costs your life. Do not let anyone enter the room.” Kasumi answered as her hands proceeded to finish her main body’s touch up.

Boom! A fiery explosion could be heard from outside, the bone door shook, some parts of it were broken into pieces.

“There’s no time left. We have to proceed with the plan.” Nyx rushed Kasumi. She was unwilling, but Nyx had activated a necro-path spell that produced black fog to envelop the room, rendering most investigative measures limited.

As the black fog covered his main soul and Kasumi, Nyx faced the invader who broke the door with a fiery explosion.

“It’s open.” A red haired girl wearing a long glove that reached up to her armpits smiled as she got a glimpse of the skeletal mage and the various bone instruments in the room. The black smoke behind the skeletal mage aroused her interest, but her advances were stopped when a hand patted her shoulder.

“The tempered mana crystals are right in this chamber... but the owner probably won’t give us their resources freely...” Said a girl with violet eyes and purple hair behind her, the large white moth on her shoulder emit passive mental pressure towards her surroundings.

The invaders stopped marching carelessly. They took a defensive position, led by an armored youth with a greatsword and a tower shield on his hands.

“As a fellow inheritor of the Devil King’s legacy, it would be more profitable for us to help each other. I have grasped the inheritance of King Solomon; it isn’t completely divergent from your primary cultivation path. I can share them and grant you a way out without fighting. I will also allow you to take the kobolds, as long as you and your party leave this place at once.” Nyx transmitted a telepathic will to negotiate his fate, making sure nobody could hear the conversation between him and the purple haired girl.

Unfortunately, his proposal was rejected flatly. “True, but your presence might blow my cover. I will kill you and get the inheritance from your soul instead, it is much simpler than cooperating with an undead.” She replied with her own telepathic will as the white moth on her shoulder flaps its four wings, spreading black dust that protects her teammates from passive wisdom-path methods.

“Tsk. It seems like my negotiation is seen as a sign of weakness.” Nyx shook his head in disapproval.

< Alanis, break it down! > Sumire ordered Alanis through the telepathic link provided by [Group Chat]. The exchange of telepathic thoughts was silent and near-instant.

Alanis quietly activated a delayed information-path spell similar to [System Interface] but more intrusive, revealing most of Nyx’s unprotected information.

< Nyx, a skeletal mage converted from the corpse of a goblin shaman, his spiritual force foundation is at 7 transparent stars and his physical attribute is 1.5 on average. Hmm? Where’s his mana pool? Maybe a mana aperture? Captain, I can’t get a glimpse of his mana aperture! > Alanis reported as she expressed shock.

7 transparent stars meant his spiritual force development quotient ranged from 70 to 79%, which is barely considered as a late-stage rank 0. However, Nyx’s mana aperture was gone which means his spellcasting abilities should be nonexistent but Sumire wouldn’t believe it if this necromancer is that helpless. Sumire’s purple eyes glowed in faint light as she accelerates her thinking process with a delayed wisdom-path spell to examine Nyx further.

‘His shamanic apparel is in tatters, as if he had fought with someone else. It should be easy to replace them but a research-type mage would typically ignore their appearance, it can’t be used as a standard measurement. Now that I got a closer look at him, his chest cavity was broken, as if a large and heavy object had penetrated it.  

That can’t simply be it. The weapon must be imbued with penetration martial arts or other methods to deal further internal damage because the back part of his rib cage has been obliterated, even his spinal bone is cracked… This wound, perhaps a lance-type weapon?’ Sumire analyzed Nyx to the best of her abilities.

From this brief calculation, she had linked the clues and the information Alanis gathered. The thought-amplification method stopped as the faint lights in her eyes faded.

< I see. This necromancer… Nyx is currently wounded. His mana aperture has been damaged in recent battle but his fearlessness indicates his willingness to battle so he must’ve used an alternative method to temporarily recover or other ways. Still, we have to be on guard, I won’t believe he’ll let us kill him without a fight > She transferred her thoughts over [Group Chat].

Nyx expressed an amused expression after noticing the team turning quiet. “It seems that you will fare better than that brat. Well, it doesn't matter.” He pointed his finger like a pistol, “Rank 0 necro-path magic spell, [Death by Piercing]!”

“Hmm? That brat?” Sumire catches his words, but she couldn’t react properly as Nyx’s index finger’s distal phalange was used as a projectile. The spell reinforced the bone matter into something as hard as metal. In short, Nyx used his finger bone as a bullet. Bang! Kurogane managed to respond quickly with his shield as he blocked the bone bullet aimed at Sumire’s forehead.

“[Death by Piercing]!” Nyx repeated the same spell, but something was different this time as all of his left hand’s four remaining fingers were pointing towards the invader.

“Captain!” Sakuya finally reacted as he had never seen a mage use spells consecutively without pause unless they were delayed methods. However, it was clear that delayed spell activation sequence wasn’t included in the spells.

This time, Nyx’s finger bones weren't propelled like the previous one. In fact, it exploded into a mass of bone shrapnel towards the team. Seeing the protective methods of his enemies, Nyx decided to go for another method than killing them with his finger bones.

The bone shrapnel’s damage was spread to the team. Thanks to the armor, distance traveled, and the spread firepower, it wasn’t lethal. However, it spread bone shrapnel dust amongst the team.

 < Don’t breathe, it carries corpse poison pathogen. Sakuya, cleanse this room! > Sumire ordered as everyone reacted.

Kurogane, Yamamura and Shirogane rushed towards Nyx whose finger bones have all gone while Sumire, Sakuya, Seraphina, and Alanis activated their own spells. Of course, Ramiel’s crossbow bolts covered the melee combatant’s approach, but Nyx acted like he didn’t see the incoming threat.

“Fools. Never underestimate a cornered necromancer. Rank 0 necro-path magic spell, [Death by Impalement]!”

As the crossbow bolts hit his skeletal body, Nyx’s bones cracked on impact point. However, the bones regenerated rapidly as microscopic bone spurs fixed the cracks quickly as if it was merely an illusion. Nyx was under a rank 0 necro-path defensive magic spell, [Death by Reactive Bone Armor].

Responding to the attack, twelve bone spears grew from Nyx’s back. The 1-meter long bone spears are pale white; they were spread like wings behind him. In less than a second, each individual segment of the ‘bone wing’ locked on to different targets. With a ‘flap’, the bone wing released the bone spears soundlessly.

“Scatter!” Kurogane grunted as he received six bone spears with his shield. He was using a technique to deflect the bone spears by cleverly adjusting the angle of his shield, but the bone spears seem to have a mind of their own. The six that he blocked managed to penetrate the tower shield while pointing toward a uniformed target: his heart.

Thankfully, the force behind the spears was insufficient to pierce his broken chest-armor. “The bone spears are strange, don’t let it get to you!” Kurogane warned.

Those who can deflect it, deflected it and those who can evade it, evaded it. While six were aimed for Kurogane, Shirogane completely destroyed four midair and the last two were aimed towards Yamamura.

Unfortunately, Yamamura wasn’t that lucky. He tried to parry both bone spears, only for it to alter its trajectory in midair. He managed to deflect the right spear, but his left arm was impaled by the spear as black spots spread from the wound.

“Poison!” Yamamura yelled as he retreated. The corpse poison within the bone spear ensures that his left arm will rot if it wasn’t treated.

During this exchange, Shirogane attacked with her sword force. It traveled faster than the speed of sound, but Nyx reacted before the sword force was generated. “Rank 0 necro-path magic spell, [Death by Mob: Skeletal Slaves]!”

As if they had hidden themselves for an ambush, three 2-meter tall [Skeletal Slaves] rose from the ground. These creatures were made out of beast bones mashed up into a humanoid figure. Rib cage as bone claws, beast spine as limbs and beast skull as fist… they were like an abomination that can be found in nightmares. 

The center one held a bone tower shield as tall as itself while the rest was equipped with a bone sword and shield. The one with a bone tower shield protected Nyx from Shirogane’s sword force which sliced the skeleton and the tower shield into two, but the attack ended there. The other two skeletal slaves however, advance wordlessly towards Shirogane and Kurogane.

Before Shirogane could react to her failed attack, Nyx cast another spell “Rank 0 necro-path magic spell, [Death by Guilt]!” 

Nyx’s empty socket produces a dark purple light.

Sumire who prepared a spell while watching the battle stopped her action and reacted instantly, < DON’T LOOK AT HIS EYES! > she ordered desperately as she endured the spell backlash of forcefully stopping a spell activation sequence, but it was already too late.

As a melee combatant, Shirogane must be aware of her enemy actions at all times. The change of Nyx’s empty eye socket could not escape her sight. Due to this ‘eye contact’, she fell victim to the spell.

Suddenly, she stopped moving as her eyes turned black. Without stopping a beat, she attacked Kurogane from behind with her giant katana.

Kurogane’s [Survival Instinct] detected the attack since Shirogane did not even try to hide her action, but he couldn’t just turn around because he was attacking the two Skeletal Slaves in front of him.

Sumire felt the speed of battle was too fast for her to make adjustments. She re-activated her wisdom-path method that accelerated her thought process. As her thoughts generation went overdrive, the world in her perspective slowed down to an extreme. This necromancer was too overbearing with his methods. Not only can he near-instantly activate one spell after another without respite, the variations were enough to counter a team.

‘Should I say as expected of a former legendary mage? His attainment shouldn’t be underestimated.’ These thoughts of acknowledgement popped up in her mind before another replaced it. ‘If I can defeat him and capture his soul, my wealth of knowledge will be unrivaled amongst my generation.’

Sumire’s trump card, [Thousand Malicious Thoughts], can produce a thousand telepathic malicious thoughts. Although malicious thoughts are not the best for deduction, it is good enough to make plans that revolve in hurting others.

She can ‘burn’ these telepathic thoughts to accelerate her thinking speed tens of times for a brief period, as long as her thoughts could keep up. If the telepathic thoughts run out, she could reactivate [Thousand Malicious Thoughts] but accelerating the thinking process puts a heavy burden on the mind, body and soul.

To give context, an inner monologue of ‘a blue apple’ consists of three telepathic thoughts: one for the amount of objects, one for the color, and one for the object itself. Of course, this was merely sufficient in drawing a rough presentation. In the real world, complex pondering expends far more telepathic thoughts than in theory.

A stupid or dull person cannot maximize the effect of [Thousand Malicious Thoughts] but in Sumire’s hand, it is an excellent tool. Due to the augmented thought process, in a fraction of a second, she used her moth to activate the spell twice in succession to keep up with her thought expenditure, causing her eyes to release tears of blood and experience an extreme migraine.

Before Shirogane’s attack landed on her brother, she found a way out of the predicament, but it needed the full effort of her whole team.

At this moment, Alanis’ method showed its function to the fullest. The information-path magic spell, [Group Chat], utilizes the team member’ ID Cards as relay stations for near-instant exchanges of telepathic thoughts with each other. 

< Kurogane, the skeletal slaves are weak to blunt force, kill them immediately with your most powerful attack. Trust your body runes for a bit, you won’t die in one hit… but it’s probably going to hurt a lot > Sumire shares her telepathic thoughts as she rushes Sakuya for her cleansing spell.

Just as expected, Kurogane smashed the Skeletal Slaves with a brief activation of [Power Overwhelming]. The skeletal slaves were not normal; they were made out of beast bones augmented with Nyx’s methods. They are supposed to be equal to multiple Skeletal Slaves that Sumire could refine, but Kurogane’s strength was amplified by body runes and martial arts. They could not offer meaningful resistance.

However, Nyx never planned to use them for long. The corpse poison laced on their weapon was merely useful for making them a priority target so that Shirogane could attack her own brother.

Just as he had expected, his sister did not pull back her sword force. If not because of his full plate armor and several body runes and defensive martial arts, he would be dismembered into two. The damage reduction his defensive method provided allowed him to leave with a severe wound as Shirogane’s sword force penetrated his armor, ruptured his organs and left a sword energy that continuously destroyed his internals if left alone.  

Even if Kurogane activates several strength-path healing methods, it wouldn’t be as effective as it used to be.

This was the true strength of sword-path cultivators; their attacks are the sharpest of all paths.

Kurogane coughed blood, “Sister, wake up!” After the first attack, he can focus his thoughts on defending against his sister. The wound on his back was forcefully suppressed but it will worsen if he moves too much. Without a choice, he fought defensively against his sister, rendering Nyx free to do as he pleases.

Contrary to Sumire’s expectation, Nyx stopped casting spells as he controls Shirogane. He stood still as his empty ‘eyes’ focused on Shirogane.

< Controlling Shirogane must’ve consumed a lot of telepathic thought. His telepathic thought generation could not keep up with the expenditure. Hold up a bit! > Sumire utilizes the rare respite to prepare a new spell.

At this moment, Sakuya’s [Triple Cleansing Solar Wave] arrives, cleansing the poison in the air and accidentally cleanses the black fog behind Nyx.

“Oh, that black gas also consists of corpse poison?” Sakuya was surprised as she inspected the bone refinery so that she could gain an environmental advantage. “These are… Bone Refinery. Nyx was doing an experiment on a girl?”

Suddenly, everyone was focused on the X-shaped bone furniture that binds a small, helpless girl.