~THUD!~
The earth shook slightly as the colossal cluster of corpses fell to the ground—dead for the second time.
"Huu…" Claudius looked at his Undead minions as they gathered before him, once again taking battle positions.
Afterward, they became stationary.
'Looks like it's over. Good thing I summoned my best fighters.'
If he didn't, it would have taken a lot longer.
As an experienced Necromancer, Claudius knew all about the quality of corpses and Undead, hence he was able to make the right decision and achieve flawless victory.
'Now all we have to do is take down the opponent before he summons another troublesome thing.'
He didn't know how possible that was, though.
To make an Undead, you needed a dead body. That was a fundamental principle that remained unchanging for all Necromancers.
The only reason Claudius could bring out his minions despite having no sacrifices was thanks to [Abyss Call].
'I'm not sure if this person has it or not, but it's more likely they don't.'
Based on what the man had displayed—making such a high-leveled Undead in such a short period without any elaborate process—Claudius had to assume he used a bunch of Skills at the same time.
'At least three would have been used, the way I see it.'
Humans had a limit of five Skills, and if he accounted for the Skills he used to kill the Recon Unit and make them suddenly appear, then the list of Skills had to be consummated.
'He also at least needs to have a Passive Skill when it comes to Magic, so there's that.'
Claudius knew that the number of his Skills had already somehow reached five, so there was no room for a Skill like [Abyss Call].
'That means he'll have to summon something else from scratch. I see no sacrifices around, so he might have to go outside the Mansion's compounds to get the dead bodies of those we killed before coming here.'
Claudius wasn't going to let that happen, but even if the man managed to escape their encirclement, he wouldn't be able to make any high-leveled Undead from the corpses that he would find.
'An Undead's strength is limited to the power they had when they were alive.'
Regular denizens of the Capital couldn't qualify as powerful.
'Even if he combines their corpses, like he just did, it wouldn't be enough…'
That meant, as far as Necromancy went, he was at a disadvantage.
'The only thing I have to worry about is the unaccounted Skill that he used to kill the Recon Unit. It is very possible that it could be an Undead he already summoned, and not a Skill.'
Either way, Claudius had no intentions of letting his guard down.
He explored the possibilities in his mind as he waited for Shuro to be done with her Summon.
Perhaps his mind was so occupied that he didn't notice how the colossal cluster of corpses was rising back to its feet.
He had subconsciously dismissed it, instead focusing on the Necromancer himself.
That was his mistake!
"CLAUDIUS!" Feyu's loud voice woke Claudius from his reverie, giving him enough time to notice the Compound Corpse charging towards him.
'W-what?!' His bulging eyes expressed his surprise quite well.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
'H-how is this possible?!'
Undead couldn't regenerate—not without some kind of Skill that allowed them to do so, either by the Necromancer or the Undead itself.
'I-it never showed any ability like that? How is it… how did it regenerate so quickly?!'
These questions rushed into Claudius' mind as he stood, shell-shocked by what he was witnessing.
It was something impossible!
"A-atta—!"
Before Claudius spoke, the Compound Corpse swatted aside one of his Knights, sending it shattering into pieces.
The other two tried to attack, but it was clear that it would reach Claudius before that happened.
"—Nng!"
Recoiling from the shock, he closed his eyes and backed away in shock.
Claudius knew it instinctively… he was going to get hit.
~WHUUUUSH!~
A sudden blast from behind him sent the Compound Corpse staggering back, its two flabby arms flailing in the air as a result of the intensity of the powerful wind.
Claudius' eyes widened the moment he saw this, instantly recognizing who had cast the Spell.
'There's only one of us who can generate such a powerful Wind!'
It was Feyu.
Claudius smiled, his heart racing even faster than before.
There was no way he could hesitate now that she had just saved his life and gave him such a window of opportunity.
"Attack!"
The two Undead who were left under his command instantly rushed towards the Compound Corpse, blade swinging and lance thrusting.
~SWISH!~
In a flash, they sliced through the thing's bulky arms and legs, finishing the job by jointly decapitating it and sending its leftover body flying towards the Necromancer who summoned it.
~BOOOM!~
The earth shattered as the dead corpse's heavy body landed, sending small debris scattering around.
Once again, they had eliminated the threat.
"Thanks, Feyu." He turned behind and smiled at her.
Her stern face greeted him, and she slowly nodded before once again focusing on guarding Shuri.
That latter was in a Summoning Circle at the rear of the group, the safest position to be at the moment.
The longer the time it took to summon… the better the Familiar.
Shuri was definitely calling forth a big one.
Claudius made a wry smile as he returned his gaze forward, exhaling deeply as he watched the unmoving Compound Corpse.
'I lost one of my Knights, but… it's down for good now, right?'
Unfortunately, Claudius could not make such an assumption any longer.
'What in the world just happened?'
The Compound Corpse he saw from the start was a strong but sluggish entity who could easily be subjugated by his Knights.
It was such a simple entity that required no special strategy.
'But, just now… it's speed drastically increased.'
It also showed more decisiveness than before—almost as if it was learning.
'In the first place, how was it able to regenerate and revive? I was sure it died…'
"You appear confused." The voice of the ebony man surged forth, forcing Claudius to gaze upon his immensely handsome face.
"What appears to be the issue? Perhaps I could assist in enlightening you."