Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 270: Episode

An undead whale of smooth bone cut through the churning white foam, its tail fin waving elegantly. Right behind it, the enormous monster Gwoegong was in hot pursuit.

’To think it can swim this fast with that huge body!’

[Boy! Another one is coming from behind!]

Simon darted his eyes back and immediately ducked as Gwoegong’s breath attack passed precariously over him. It was as if a blue flash of light had torn the sea in half.

’Ah.’

In that moment, Simon realized.

’The breath attack was slowing down.’

Of course, it wasn’t that the attack’s speed had changed, but that Simon ’perceived’ it that way. Having narrowly escaped death several times, his senses had sharpened to a razor’s edge, and an extreme level of concentration began to take hold.

The world seemed to slow down.

’It’s been a while.’

He was in top form.

Simon commanded Deimos to turn. As the skeletal whale, which had been fleeing for its life, changed direction, the Gwoegong also seemed surprised and slowed its advance.

’If it’s come to this...’

Simon’s gaze turned cold.

’Shall we have a proper go at it?’

Deimos’s jaw gaped open as a churning sphere of magical power and seawater gathered within.

’Tidal Current Cannon!’

With a deafening roar, the cannonball of water and energy shot out, exploding against Gwoegong’s face. The colossal monster cried out in pain, its body twisting in agony before it charged with even greater fury. Simon stood firm, sending Deimos rushing forward as he channeled a stream of refined Jet-Black. The dark energy flowed along Deimos’s skeleton, concentrating on its pectoral fins until their tips were honed into razor-sharp blades.

’Now!’

Just before they collided, Deimos dove sharply, descending toward Gwoegong’s abdomen. It thrust out its fin, sharp as a legendary blade, and pierced the beast’s belly. Then, it dashed forward in a straight line, carving a long gash across Gwoegong’s stomach from which a torrent of blood spewed.

As Gwoegong writhed, Simon and Deimos quickly pulled back. Simon clicked his tongue, a look of disappointment on his face. ’It’s so massive, it’s hard to land a decisive blow.’

Deimos swam swiftly, parting the water as Gwoegong, refusing to be outdone, lumbered after it. As Deimos fled, it fired short bursts from its Tidal Current Cannon. Each blast illuminated the water around its mouth, blasting sprays of dark water behind it, but Gwoegong simply powered through the attacks and continued its relentless charge. Soon, the colossal beast opened its mouth wide.

’Down!’

Deimos dove. A colossal breath attack tore through the space just above them, punching a hole in the sea. The thought that getting hit by that would have meant certain death, protective suit or not, sent a chill down his spine.

’Now, there’s really only one way left.’

He decided to entrust evasion entirely to Deimos. Simon closed his eyes and laid his palm on Deimos’s skull, feeling the intricate summoning magic circle that bound them, a connection that resonated deep within his mind. ’The very thing Diego tried so hard to salvage.’

Deimos was more than just its Tidal Current Cannon. There was a reason it was called the ‘Ruler of the Sea.’ Simon focused on a dormant formula in a corner of the summoning circle and activated it.

’Thump!’

He felt Deimos’s consciousness expand. His own mind burned hot as a fire raced through his nerves.

’Thump! Thump!’

"Kughh!" A groan escaped his lips as the immense pressure flooded his mind. The world distorted into a chaotic, incomprehensible canvas.

’...Focus!’

He ignored the breath attack closing in from behind, immersing himself solely in the moment, concentrating only on drawing out everything Deimos possessed. Simon’s and Deimos’s Jet-Black began to boil in unison.

[Boy! If you push any harder, you’ll overload your mind!] Pier’s voice echoed in his head.

No, he could do more. He wouldn’t question it, nor would he set limits for himself. He believed, with every fiber of his being, that he could do it.

’I am...!’

Sparks of electricity crackled through his thoughts. His perception stretched to encompass all of creation as his consciousness expanded endlessly, the sensation of placing the entire world beneath his feet washing over him. Simon’s pupils turned a brilliant, radiant gold.

’Omnipotent.’

’Thwack.’ He felt a hole being punched in the dark ceiling of the water, a ray of sunlight piercing through.

The sound amplified from the summoning circle as Deimos roared. A visible thought—or an image, or an ultrasound, or something more—spread throughout the entire sea.

’Wriggle, wriggle.’

From the bottom of the sea, from the surface of the water, from underwater caves, from beneath the rocks, countless life forms began to rise, reacting to the sound. Fish and monsters alike converged on its source.

"What the hell?" The students hunting in the outer sea retreated in fright as a massive school of fish surged past them.

"Wh-where are you going!" Meirin, who had been hunting Pulpa, was dumbfounded as the monsters she was fighting suddenly fled as if possessed. The same was true for all the other monsters. The empty sea, which had fallen silent with the appearance of the colossal Gwoegong, began to churn with life, filling with beautiful colors and patterns.

’Murmur, murmur, murmur!’

The crowd watching on the observer screens went wild.

"A-a-are you seeing this! Everyone, are you watching with your own two eyes!" the announcer, more excited than ever, shouted until his throat turned red. "What in the world is happening?! The fish and monsters of the sea have begun a mass migration as if on cue!"

The announcer turned his head to see that even the ever-composed Jane was now on her feet, staring at the screen.

"Professor Jane! What in the world is—!"

"Deimos," she stated flatly.

"Pardon?"

"Deimos is an ‘Alpha’."

"A-Alpha? I’m not sure what you mean! Is that a technical term? Could you please explain so the audience can understand—!"

"It means it’s an entity that holds control over all marine life!" Jane raised her voice. The reason Deimos was called the ‘Ruler of the Sea’ wasn’t because of its strength or massive size, but because of the countless marine creatures that followed it as if to guard it.

’But,’ she thought, ’the ‘Alpha’ that controlled the sea was a power unique to the living Deimos. As far as I knew, the Alpha ability was supposed to disappear when turning a dead Deimos into an undead Nether Whale. How in the world did he reproduce that power?’

Countless marine creatures of all shapes and sizes swam freely, gathering toward Simon and Deimos. It was like a giant, beautiful rainbow swirling through the water—a spectacular, grand display. Even Gwoegong seemed taken aback and didn’t approach. The ‘swarm’ formed by the gathered marine life was even larger than its own colossal body.

’Good.’ Simon felt the presence of tens of thousands of entities and activated Deimos’s magic circle. The command was simple.

[Follow me.]

At that, all the marine creatures churned up bubbles and swarmed toward Deimos. Simon led them, swimming straight toward Gwoegong and crashing the entire swarm into it. Fish chewed at Gwoegong’s flesh while monsters like Ulpes and Gamban sank their sharp teeth into it. A school of Pulpa, squid-like monsters that spewed poison, unleashed their venom. Gwoegong writhed, feeling the agony of being minced from every direction.

But Gwoegong fought back. Pores opened all over its body, and white, worm-like parasites shot out to fight the monsters and fish. Gwoegong itself rolled its eyes, spotted Simon and Deimos, and charged toward them with its mouth open.

’Dodge downwards!’

Simon descended. The sight of Gwoegong, its mouth agape, coming down from above with hundreds of thousands of fish and monsters attached to it was a jaw-dropping spectacle.

"Aghh!"

As the depth increased, the pressure began to crush him. He held on as best he could by activating his internal Jet-Black. At the same time, Deimos, having prepared its Tidal Current Cannon, changed direction and charged head-on toward the approaching Gwoegong.

Three Tidal Current Cannons exploded in succession inside Gwoegong’s gaping maw, erupting in black smoke. Simon’s eyes flashed.

’Cloud!’

He activated the magic circle he had been preparing behind his back. A cyan smoke flowed out, enveloping Deimos. In the dark sea, the white skeleton of the whale shone like a brilliant emerald, a work of art made of jewels that illuminated the dark waters.

’Go straight in!’

Simon and Deimos entered Gwoegong’s wide-open mouth.

’Forward!’

Simon fought to keep his fading consciousness and issued the command to charge. It was an act beyond comprehension, something he couldn’t do in his right mind, but he just moved forward. His vision was entirely crimson. He plunged into any open space, and if a wall blocked him, he tore and smashed his way through. As Deimos endlessly burrowed into the dark depths, it fired its Tidal Current Cannon at the organs. Smashing and tearing through everything in its way, Simon spotted a single streak of light in the distance.

’There!’

Finally breaking through a corner of flesh with sheer force, Simon and Deimos grasped the light.

Water again. Simon shook his head as if to shake off the debris and looked back. He had emerged through a hole torn in a small part of its back. And then...

The massive body of the weakened Gwoegong was collapsing, sinking into the pitch-black seabed.

"Hah!"

As his senses finally returned, Simon’s body trembled. He had no idea what he had just done, unsure if it had been reality or a dream. He slowly looked at his Tonguepad. The numbers didn’t lie.

’I did it!’

A huge thrill shot through him. But Simon wasn’t satisfied yet. He and Deimos rose to the surface, the countless sea monsters and fish following behind them. The sea was dyed in the colors of the rainbow.

---

On a small remote island in the outer sea covered in palm trees, Hector, clad in Wyrm Scales, emerged from the sea, soaking wet. ’I’m dead tired.’ It was a relief he’d found an island. He let out a long breath, dropped the scales to dry in the sun, and raised his Tonguepad to check the rankings. ’With this, I must have surely retaken first place.’

He scrolled up from the bottom.

4th – Chatel: 7,980 Points

Hector clicked his tongue. He thought this guy would be useless in the water, but here he was in the top ranks again.

3rd – Elisa: 8,100 Points

Elisa of the Ghost Ship. This girl who made ships with Necrology was specialized for the sea, so it couldn’t be helped.

2nd – Hector: 8,240 Points

But why am I in second place? There’s someone else above me? With an annoyed expression, Hector checked the top spot. And then...

"AAAARGHHH!!!" he let out a fiery roar of fury, slamming the Tonguepad on his arm onto the ground.

1st – Simon: 106,850 Points