Necromancer: I Am A Disaster

Chapter 281: A Hair's Breadth From Death; Abyssal Phantasms

The mist thickened, worsening visibility. Lin Moyu's vision blurred, and the Fire Demon King's projection vanished into the haze. The Skeletal Warriors disappeared too, their faint soul fires barely discernible before fading completely. The sound of cracking bones echoed as the skeletons scattered.

Despite the mist, Lin Moyu's connection with the Skeletal Warriors remained intact, allowing him to perceive the surroundings through them.

"The barrier covers an area one kilometer in radius. There are no monsters, just endless mist. What is the Fire Demon King planning?"

The Skeletal Warriors relayed detailed information about the barrier, but Lin Moyu couldn't decipher the Fire Demon King's intent. Was he simply trapped? Did the Demon King intend to keep him imprisoned until he died?

Under his command, the Skeletal Warriors attacked the barrier, but it only hummed in response. Even their skill only caused slight ripples. The Fire Demon King's barrier was too strong to break—at least for now.

"Maybe the barrier can be broken with the help of Enhance Troops." Lin Moyu mused.

Mist filled his body with each breath, seeping in through his skin as well. His Bone Armor remained inactive, reassuring him that the mist shouldn't be harmful

Suddenly, Lin Moyu thought he could hear faint laughter, as if the Fire Demon King was mocking him.

The scene around him shifted, and memories from his past surfaced—slaying demons, defeating bosses, competing in class user tournaments, and raiding dungeons. Yet, just as quickly, they faded away.

Lin Moyu felt a sense of loss, as though something important was slipping from his memory. Moments later, he was back at school, surrounded by the lively hum of chatter.

"What am I doing here?" Lin Moyu wondered. Something felt wrong, but his memories insisted he was a student preparing for his class awakening.

Gao Yang called out, "Dummy Lin, it's your turn! Get up there already!"

Xia Xue added, "They've called you twice already. Stop daydreaming!"

"Next, Lin Moyu!" Someone announced from the class awakening formation.

Lin Moyu stepped forward, confused, "Why does it feel like I've already gone through this? Am I forgetting something?"

His confusion deepened as the formation activated, and a strange vision, accompanied by chilling wind, appeared. He saw a Necromancer commanding a sea of skeletons, saw a Dragon covered in skeletons howling in pain.

"I feel like I've seen this before." He thought, recognizing the scene.

A massive undead army fought across the battlefield. Millions of Skeletal Warriors and Skeletal Mages fought relentlessly, led by skeletons riding skeletal horses made of white bones. In the sky above, undead Dragons soared through the air, with Archers perched on their backs.

This vision was far grander than the one he had seen during his actual class awakening.

Suddenly, the Necromancer lifted his head and raised his hand, his long, slender finger tapping the air, and a mass of fire erupted in Lin Moyu's view.

Bang!

The vision shattered with a sharp crack, jolting Lin Moyu awake. He found himself standing on the Immemorial Battlefield, the recent experience feeling like a fleeting dream. In that dream, everything had slipped from his memory, fading rapidly. If it had continued, he feared he might have lost himself completely.

"What just happened?" He muttered, his vision now filled with flames. To his surprise, he realized he was on fire. Yet, there was no pain—instead, the flames felt warm, comforting even.

The flames didn’t just lick the surface of his skin; they burned deep within, searing through every corner of his body. A continuous popping sound echoed as countless unknown objects inside him were incinerated, accompanied by faint screams.

"This is Soul Blaze... The things I saw were illusions." Lin Moyu suddenly remembered something from a book he had once read.

In the Abyss, there existed a particularly mysterious and dangerous kind of Abyssal Demon known as Abyssal Phantasm. These creatures were a hundred times smaller than a strand of hair and traveled in vast swarms. Even a small cluster contained billions of them. In terms of sheer numbers, they were the most populous Demons in the Abyss.

These Phantasms could infiltrate the body, create illusions, erode the soul, erase memories, and even take control of their host. Once they succeeded, the victim would lose their sense of self, becoming little more than a mindless puppet of the Phantasms.

A wave of fear washed over Lin Moyu. These tiny Demons were nearly impossible to detect. Before entering the body, they had no offensive capabilities, making even Bone Armor useless against them.

But, thanks to the mysterious Necromancer in the vision, Lin Moyu was saved. Soul Blaze engulfed him, burning the Phantasms that entered his body to ash. It was his first time using Soul Blaze on himself, and he marveled at its power.

He summoned Soul Blaze again, and a bright fire rose from his palm and turned into a massive fireball. Screams echoed as the Abyssal Phantasms hidden in the mist were incinerated. Soul Blaze was their bane.

"Ah! You discovered them?! What kind of fire is this? How can it kill Phantasms?!" A cry of surprise rose, followed by a deep roar.

Lin Moyu declared, his anger surging and his murderous intent flaring up, "I'll extinguish your fire!"

The Fire Demon King laughed, "I am the Fire Demon King, born with the power over fire. You dare play with fire in front of me?"

"Let's see about that." Lin Moyu replied coldly.

He had almost fallen into an irreversible trap, but at the critical moment, the mysterious Necromancer had pulled him back.

Fire danced in his palm as he aimed at the Fire Demon King's projection. Even if it was only a projection, Lin Moyu was determined to take his shot.

Soul Blaze locked onto the projection, and through a mysterious connection, a spark appeared in the Abyssal World, drilling into the Fire Demon King's head.

Screams filled the Abyssal World as excruciating pain wracked the Fire Demon King's soul, and his palace trembled violently. His projection on the Immemorial Battlefield vanished with a bang, leaving behind a black gem.

Lin Moyu picked it up. Abyssal power radiated from it, reminding him that the Succubus Queen had used a similar gem.

[Demon King Gem: a gem formed from the power of an Abyssal Demon King.]

After a brief examination, Lin Moyu found nothing particularly special or useful about it and decided to store the gem away.

Soul Blaze continued to burn, searing the Abyssal Phantasms in the mist. Lin Moyu wasn’t sure how many Phantasms the Fire Demon King had deployed, but he intended to set the entire barrier ablaze.

In small numbers, Abyssal Phantasms were not particularly frightening and had a short lifespan. However, in large swarms, they became a terrifying threat, capable of causing death silently and without warning.

...

In the Abyssal World, the Fire Demon King’s screams finally ceased. Lin Moyu, following the projections' connection, locked onto the Fire Demon King’s soul, casting his skill three times within a second.

Though his attacks weren’t particularly strong, the pain was unbearable. The Fire Demon King collapsed from his throne, his screams filling the palace. Other Demons rushed to his aid, but he waved them off, incinerating them with a flick of his hand.

"No one can know about this embarrassment." Clutching his head, the Fire Demon King returned to his throne, which was engulfed in blazing flames. The fiercer the flames, the greater his fury.

The Fire Demon King vowed, his murderous billowing, "Lin Moyu, I swear I will kill you. Stay on the Immemorial Battlefield if you dare." He called out, "Convey my orders..."