Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner

Chapter 616: Episode 616

West of Roc Island. Woodville Stadium.

"This is your announcer, Olendo Slay, broadcasting live from Woodville Stadium for the second-year afternoon match!"

The crowd roared in response, the energy of the Dark Festival electric.

"And now, we have some very special commentators for this match! A Kizen professor is here in person—oh, dear. Kids, you can’t come up here."

Two girls in overalls, looking even younger than the students, were struggling to climb onto the platform. The announcer moved to stop them, but they shouted confidently.

"Lin, here next to me, is a Kizen professor!"

"That’s right! And for the record, Run, next to me, is also a Kizen professor!"

The announcer forced a weak laugh.

"Haha! Stop joking around and go back to your seats. Is there a guardian present?"

At his words, a man raised his hand—a Kizen main office employee. The sudden appearance of his employer made the announcer’s tone shift to one of utmost politeness.

"Is there a problem, sir?"

The employee gestured frantically toward the girls. The announcer’s expression, initially one of confusion, slowly morphed into pale horror.

"Ah... Aaaah! My sincerest apologies!" he yelped, bowing so low his head nearly touched his knees. The realization that these children were Kizen professors had caught him completely off guard. He’d come prepared for the bizarre, but he was helpless when confronted with it head-on.

The twin professors, looking quite pleased with themselves, took their seats on either side of the announcer.

"Ahem! We had a minor incident, but we’ll continue with the broadcast! Please explain, professors! What kind of event is this?"

"The event is a Team Raid! Each department forms a team of up to six members!"

"The first department to work together and take down the powerful monster wins!"

Woodville Stadium was the largest and most expansive of all the Dark Festival venues, housing seven smaller arenas, each protected by a sturdy barrier.

"This is fascinating!" the announcer’s eyes gleamed. Having grown up watching the Dark Festival, he was an expert on the world of necromancers. "Normally, Kizen’s ’Team Raid’ involves a mix of students from all seven majors! But today is an inter-departmental competition! It’ll be interesting to see six students from the same department, all with overlapping roles, forced to work as a team!"

Now more excited than the students, the announcer held the amplifying crystal right up to his mouth.

"The Curses Department can neutralize any monster instantly, but they’ll lack a finishing blow! The Hemomancy Department will make rapid progress once they wound the monster and make it bleed, but getting to that point will be a struggle! The type of monster that appears will be crucial!"

He turned to the twin professors.

"Professors, which department do you predict will win—!"

As if on cue, Lin and Lune leaped onto the table.

"Go, Summoning Department babies! If you don’t get first place, I’ll turn you into Rin’s friend!"

"I’ll turn you into Run’s friend, too!"

It was a classic necromancer joke—a threat to kill them if they failed—but the announcer, unaware of the dark humor, simply smiled and raised the amplifying crystal.

"Now, let’s bring in the contestants! Since students have a limited number of events they can compete in, seeing who participates in which match is a key point of observation! Let’s begin!"

One by one, students began to teleport into the seven arenas. The crowd roared in anticipation.

"We believe in you again this year! Curses Department!"

"Please win, please! I bet the deed to my house without my wife knowing!"

"Go, Poisonous Venom Department! It’s your time to win! You can do it!"

As a massive festival watched by the entire Dark Alliance, the question of which department would emerge victorious was a matter of intense speculation. Astronomical sums of money were being wagered. The traditional powerhouses, the Curses and Jet-Black Dynamics Departments, were the favorites. However, the Curses Department was considered a slightly stronger contender this year, as the professor in charge of the second-years was the infamous Bahil Amagar.

The crowd’s excitement grew with each student’s appearance, the cheers growing even louder when a well-known name was announced.

But then...

"Ah, one department has yet to arrive," the announcer said, flustered. "Which one is that? Ah, the Summoning Department! It’s the Summoning Department. I wonder what happened?"

A murmur went through the crowd, and the other students turned to stare at the empty space. Finally, a flash of light appeared, heralding a delayed teleportation.

"The light seems... small, doesn’t it?"

"You’re right."

As all eyes were fixed on the spot, a single boy materialized from within the light.

"One person! It’s one person!" the announcer shouted, his face alight with excitement. "While all the other departments have sent out six members, the Summoning Department has sent out only one!"

The other students stared, dumbfounded.

"What are they trying to pull?"

"Looks like they’re giving up on this game."

The light faded, revealing the lone participant: a boy with blue hair, standing proudly, his magnificent black coat fluttering behind him.

"I can’t believe it! That one person is none other than..." The announcer shot to his feet, his voice booming. "Kizen’s Student Council President, Simon Polentia!!"

A fiery roar erupted for Simon, the last to appear. A solo entry into a team raid that required six people. It was a truly audacious move.

"No, seriously?"

"He’s become a real attention seeker since becoming president."

The other students snickered.

"Do your best, baby!"

"Go for it, baby!" the twin professors shouted from atop the table.

"This is astonishing. Haha." The announcer was still laughing blankly, the shock not having worn off. Just then, the twin professors hopped down and sat on either side of him.

"Beard baby!"

"What do you think?"

’Beard baby...’ The announcer smiled bitterly and lowered the amplifying crystal. "If I may venture a guess, even as the Student Council President, he is still just one of Kizen’s many outstanding students. I think it will be difficult for him to defeat six of his peers."

The rest of the audience agreed. While they applauded Simon’s courage, realistically, it was a reckless move.

But the twin professors just spun in their chairs and giggled.

"Is that really so? Is that really so?"

"That would be true if Simon were just another outstanding student!"

The announcer looked confused.

Soon, the students in the seven arenas had finished their preparations. The committee members conducted a final check for any rule violations before exiting the barriers.

"Now, the powerful Raid Monster will be teleported into the seven test sites!"

A flash of light erupted, far more intense than when the students had appeared.

"Today’s monster is... the Gyrodile!"

With a heavy thud, a massive crocodilian monster stood firmly on two feet. It was over ten feet tall, its body armed with hard scales and its tail bristling with sharp spines. The long teeth in its open maw glinted menacingly in the sunlight. It was a terrifying creature, worthy of its moniker, the ’Crocodile Giant’.

"Then... let the match begin!"

The curse restraining the monster lifted, and pupils appeared in its empty eye sockets. The horizontally slit pupils darted left and right before it bared its teeth at the students.

"Let’s go!"

"Just stick to the plan!"

The students inside the barriers scattered, preparing their black magic. Each department had a different formation and strategy, making it an interesting spectacle for the audience.

Simon, participating alone, was the last to move. He summoned a swarm of skeletons from his subspace, spreading them around the Gyrodile. The monster, freed from its curse, saw the armed skeletons and charged.

With a subtle gesture from Simon, the skeletons moved with dazzling speed, drawing the Gyrodile’s attention.

’This is what I love about Summoning.’

Even when outnumbered, he could always respond by using his summons. Having deployed enough skeletons, Simon now brought out his trump card.

An undead of enormous build appeared, immediately dropping to one knee. Its entire body was clad in armor reminiscent of a black knight.

"What is that?"

"It doesn’t have a head."

All eyes focused on the summon brought out by the Student Council President. The announcer, obligated to answer the crowd’s questions, turned to the twin professors.

"Professors! What kind of summon is that?"

"It’s a Dullahan!"

"A slightly special Dullahan!"

Simon extended his arm.

A purple light emanated from his palm, drawing a complex diagram in the air. The two ends of a fence enclosing a small ecosystem met and overlapped. Within it, letters, symbols, and various polygons were inscribed one by one. Numbers and symbols formed equations as the purple light flowed powerfully along the circuits. The magical elements, interlocking like a precision machine, slowly rotated and sparked.

The Gyrodile, sensing the dangerous power, tried to shake off the skeletons and charge Simon.

In response, Simon gently moved the fingertips of his other hand. The skeletons transformed into ’Bone Armor’, clinging to the Gyrodile’s legs to hinder its movement.

He then clad the zombies summoned from his subspace in Bone Armor as well.

The Bone Armor floated into the air like transport ships, dropping the zombies behind the Gyrodile. In a continuous motion, Simon clenched his fist.

’Corpse Explosion!’

Explosions erupted behind the beast, and the Gyrodile’s massive body staggered and fell. Startled, it turned around, enraged, and swung its arms and tail, attacking the skeletons again.

’Good, I’ve diverted its attention.’

In the meantime, Simon’s Chaos magic was nearing completion.

Hearing the crowd’s reaction, Simon glanced at the other departments.

’They’re faster than I thought.’

They were almost finished. The Curses Department had brought down their Gyrodile with a weakening curse, while the Jet-Black Dynamics Department was bombarding theirs with completed elemental magic. The Hemomancy Department had managed to peel off its scales and apply a bleeding spell, and a Combat Magic student was ramming a spear into their Gyrodile’s neck.

He had to hurry.

Simon finally moved the completed Chaos magic circle, bestowing it upon the Dullahan’s back.

The next thing he took out was...

The skull of Manus, emanating a deeply ominous aura. He placed it on the Dullahan and flipped the switch.

"Ah! Just as I was speaking, Student Council President Simon has made his move! He placed something on the Dullahan. What is that? A skeleton’s skull?"

A gleam flashed in Manus’s eye sockets. His Jet-Black met the magic circle inside the Dullahan’s body, creating Chaos, and linked with the magic circle on its back.

’I don’t need much.’

The body of the kneeling Dullahan slowly began to rise.

’Simon Polentia Original - Chaos Dullahan’

’Just borrowing a single strike will be enough.’

Simon felt his thoughts connect with Manus. After the performance evaluation, Manus had stopped resisting the channel of thought from him.

Simon drew his sword. At the same time, Manus, standing majestically over him as if to protect him, also drew his sword. Their movements were perfectly synchronized as they lowered their stances, swords held at their waists.

’It’s Hwacheon, Manus.’

As if to say, ’You’d better do it right,’ Manus’s eyes flashed.

Simon grinned.

’Here I go!’

The entire world turned gray. Sounds became muffled and drawn out as his thoughts accelerated to an impossible speed. His heart pounded like a drum.

The moment his concentration peaked and the unification of their minds became perfect, Simon understood Manus’s movements, his stance, his martial arts, and his karma.

A wide grin stretched across Simon’s lips.

’For a fleeting moment, I become a Sword Master.’

Simon’s and Manus’s feet moved forward simultaneously. The rotation that began at their toes traveled up through their waists to the ends of their arms. Without spilling a single drop of the torrent-like power flowing through them—

They unleashed it.

’Imperial Swordsmanship - Hwacheon’

The sky split in half.

The stadium split in half.

Having drawn a line that nothing could defy, Simon and Manus lowered their swords, the giant monster at their backs.

The crowd stared, mouths agape.

"Did something happen?"

"Look over there! By the Summoning Department...!"

A clean cut was being drawn across the Gyrodile’s neck.

The crowd held its breath.

The entire stadium was submerged in a silent, collective gasp.

In perfectly synchronized movements, Simon and the Dullahan brought their swords to their scabbards.

The sound of steel scraping against sheaths filled the air, and the hearts of those watching burned with tension.

The moment the swords were fully sheathed...

The massive neck, revealing a perfectly clean cross-section, was the first among the seven battlefields to fall to the ground.

The monster’s head hit the floor with a heavy thud.

No one in the stands could utter a word.