CHAPTER 45: EX 45. NECROMANCER OF THE SELECTION

Just as the arrow was about to pierce Elizabeth’s chest—

Thwip—!

A massive, grey hand snapped out and caught it mid-air with a sharp clack of bone against wood.

The hand belonged to a hulking undead ogre, standing beside Elizabeth like a grim sentinel.

Its skin was ashen, patched with scars and rot.

Two long tusks jutted from its cracked jaws.

And its eyes—dull, grey, and lifeless—reflected only the will of its master.

At that very moment, the magic circle beneath the newly slain beast flared to life, bathing the forest floor in eerie shadows.

Dark energy howled upward, wrapping around the corpse before dragging it down into the circle.

With a pulse of shadow, the resurrection was complete.

"Now that I’m done with that..." Elizabeth said softly, her voice cold.

She slowly turned around, her gaze sharpening.

"Let’s deal with the pests."

From the trees ahead, three figures stepped into view.

The first, was a burly man carrying a massive battle axe, his arms were muscular and his eyes gleamed with confidence.

The second, was a female mage clad in a dark robe, her long bangs obscuring her face as she clutched a staff etched with red runes.

And the third, was a lanky man, his bow already drawn back with another arrow aimed directly at Elizabeth’s head.

The axe warrior gave a mocking grin.

"What do we have here...?" he said, eyes sliding toward the undead ogre. "You’ve got yourself a nice bodyguard. Is it a skill? Or maybe... a tal..."

He never got to finish the question.

FWOOOM—!

A magic circle spun to life at Elizabeth’s side, and in the blink of an eye, a sharp [Bone Spear] exploded forward.

The trio barely had time to react.

But the attack wasn’t aimed at them.

Instead, a scream of pain erupted from behind Elizabeth.

A cadet—cloaked in invisibility—was now pinned to a tree, the jagged bone spear buried in his shoulder, nailing him in place.

His form flickered as the invisibility skill was forcefully deactivated, revealing a stunned face twisted in agony.

Elizabeth didn’t even glance back.

"Tch. Missed your heart by an inch."

She tilted her head slightly, eyes still locked on the trio.

"Riot. Finish him."

The ogre moved instantly, its giant fist hurtling forward like a hammer of judgment.

Before the blow could land, the pinned cadet vanished into motes of glowing light—eliminated.

The ogre’s fist smashed into the tree behind him, splintering it like dry wood with a thunderous CRACK.

The three remaining cadets stood frozen, to afraid to make a move.

The one Elizabeth had just dispatched was the strongest among them.

And she had taken him out without even turning around.

They knew.

They all knew.

They had no chance.

Elizabeth’s cold gaze swept over them.

"Riot. Go."

The massive ogre turned toward them, a low rumble echoing from its chest.

The cadets gritted their teeth.

There was no escaping now.

Only fight or be eliminated.

So, they chose to fight.

But in the hearts of all three, the same thought echoed—

"This was a mistake."

And by the time that battle was over, they would never forget the name—

Elizabeth Queen.

The Necromancer of the Selection.

****

The axe warrior lay sprawled on the ground, bloodied and breathless, his once-mighty grip on his battle axe now limp and broken. His limbs trembled as he tried to rise, only for a massive shadow to loom over him.

Riot, Elizabeth’s undead ogre, stood tall like death incarnate, its cold, lifeless eyes fixed on its prey.

With a low, guttural growl, the giant lifted one massive foot—and brought it crashing down toward the warrior’s skull.

But just before the blow could connect—

Fwoosh—!

The axe warrior’s body dissolved into shimmering motes of light, vanishing beneath the ogre’s heel.

Eliminated.

Elizabeth didn’t flinch.

She remained where she had been the entire time—calmly behind a barrier, watching from a distance as her summoned undead single-handedly dismantled all opposition. She hadn’t needed to move.

She just observed and commanded.

As Riot stood silently by her side again, the glowing notifications flickered into her vision:

[Eliminated 1 cadet +140 points]

[Eliminated 1 cadet +30 points]

[Eliminated 1 cadet +50 points]

[Eliminated 1 cadet +80 points]

Elizabeth blinked once, her mind already processing the numbers.

"I must not have been their first target," she thought.

She knew the point values well by now.

F-rank beasts: 100 points

E-ranks: 200 points

D-ranks: 400 points

And considering only two hours had passed since the selection began, the maximum survival points anyone could have earned by now would be 20 points—if they hadn’t fought any beasts.

But these cadets... all of them had far more than that.

Her gaze turned sharp.

"So they’ve been eliminating others..."

She wasn’t angry.

After all, it wasn’t against the rules.

But she was curious.

"Why ally with one another? They could’ve just Eliminated each other to climb higher."

She pondered this for a few seconds—eyes narrowed, brain calculating—before letting out a small sigh.

"Well, I’m sure I’ll figure it out later."

And with that, she turned and walked away from the ruined battlefield, her long black coat fluttering behind her.

Riot melted into the shadows beneath her feet, waiting—ready to rise and defend her at a moment’s notice.

But the truth behind the alliance was more telling than she could’ve imagined.

Across the selection zone, cadets were forming groups—not out of strategy, not to dominate...

But out of fear.

They had seen something.

Or rather—someone.

Leon.

A nightmare clad in blue.

A blur that turned battles into slaughter fields.

A sword that struck without mercy.

They had watched him butcher demonic beasts.

They had watched him erase cadets like bugs.

And in their panic, in their desperation, they came to one conclusion:

If we can’t beat him, at least we can run faster than someone else.

They didn’t know it, but their entire behavior was being shaped by one person’s overwhelming pressure.

And if Elizabeth ever found out?

She’d pause for a beat... and laugh.

"If not Leon... who else?"

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A/N: Any ideas for undead summons and their names. If you have please write it in the comments and thanks for reading this far you guys are EXtraordinary ^⁠_⁠^

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