The Black Necromancer



Time continued to pass by and the war continued unabated. The fighting between the rebels and the empire's forces became more and more heated with each confrontation. Leon made more appearances in this battle as he utilized his impressive strength to bull his way through multiple strongholds. He gained a lot of new soldiers for his Undead Army too. War was the best way to increase his strength, after all.

As the war surged on, below the surface, undercurrents surged. Behind the scenes, an army of darkness began to gather in the backlines of Rivera. The army was under the control of Garessa, the strongest known Necromancer and Dark magic user in Datar. Not only that, but she also rallied some unlikely accomplices to help her in her endeavor, aside from the Elves.

"He had yet to show himself on the battlefield, Garessa. I am sure we would have noticed an Undead Army by now." Alvar said as he and Garessa discussed the deployment of her army.

"He is obviously in hiding. It seems we may need to bait him out." Garessa said, caressing her chin under her hood. "I will deploy a portion of my army. If he is as impulsive as I believe, then he may reveal himself. If not, then we can only wait until the time is right."

"Hmm, as you ponder on how to lure out this rat, my forces continue losing ground. If not for the fact that you asked me to exercise patience, we would not be in this situation. The constant losses as beginning to show effects on the morale of my soldiers." Alvar said in a dissatisfied tone.

"I am aware, Alvar. It is a necessary sacrifice. I have already told you that my master will compensate you. There is no need to worry." Garessa said, her voice carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. She had already heard this complaint from Alvar multiple times now.

"The lives of hundreds of thousands of Elves have already been sacrificed! I am tired of waiting! Implement your plans as swiftly as possible, Garessa. My empire is not a chessboard for you and your master to corner a rat!" Alvar slammed his fist on the table in front of him and Garessa fell silent.

"...Very well, then. I will do so." She said with a bit of irritation in her tone before vanishing in a swirl of mana and leaving Alvar on his own. The Emperor sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Dyson." He called out and waited. A second later, Dyson appeared before him and bowed his head. The Demigod had a few bandages wrapped around his arms, a memento of the grievous injuries he had suffered back in the explosion of Darkhold base.

"You called." Dyson responded without lifting his head.

"Yes, I want you to send the Beast Knights and Colossuses to the front lines." Alvar replied seriously. The Beast Knights and the Colossuses were some of the ace troops of the Elven Empire. The Beast Knights were an elite army that was comprised of Rivera's finest Beast Tamers. As for the Colossuses, they were magical constructs that were made by the finest and strongest craftsmen that could be found on the continent. The colossuses were powerful constructs, with the weakest ones being equivalent to a Mid B rank.

Naturally, with their great strength, it was incredibly difficult to make, and the resources needed to make them were rather scarce.

"As you wish, Majesty!" Dyson bowed and was about to leave when Alvar stopped him.

"Hold on a moment. I want you to search for someone for me. He is on the side of the rebels." Alvar handed a piece of paper to Dyson. On the paper was an accurate depiction of Leon's white haired alter ego! "He has been disrupting our plans over the past weeks. From what reports we have of him, he is an excellent mage that excels at all basic elements."

"I see. I will scope him out and try to defeat him." Dyson hesitated before nodding.

"Try? I want you to kill him! Do not try! Do it!!!" Alvar blew up.

"As you wish, Majesty!" Dyson bowed again and vanished, leaving the irritated Emperor to himself.

.

.

Whoosh!

A strong gust of wind blew over a clifftop, stirring dust and sand. Below the cliff, a massive army that numbered in the hundreds of thousands gathered. Several airships hovered above the army, providing cover for them. Waves of mana rippled from the airships, but did not extend past the cliff.

A magical barrier that provided stealth and concealment for the army spread over the bottom of the cliff. No one knew that the army was here except for the members of the rebel army present.

"I tell you, Damon, this is going to be great! Imagine a Rivera where a half-blood like me can actually be a councilman!" One half breed Elf exclaimed as he had a bowl of soup with his friends.

"That is what we fight for. A future for the generations after us. Even if we die, as long as we win this war and our leaders keep true to the cause we fight for, then I will be satisfied." Someone else beside him said with a somber tone. He sipped on the warm soup and savored the taste.

The soldiers continued to eat and talk amongst themselves. None of them knew who exactly was behind this whole rebellion. Their reach was limited and they only knew a few army commanders that could command them. As for the true backers of the rebellion, they knew nothing of them.

The unknown leaders of the rebel movement were currently convening for an important meeting that would decide the course of the war that had already been dragging on for some time now.

Leon stepped into an enchanted underground room that was at the base of the cliff. As he stepped in, he maintained his disguise. Inside the room, several disguised and robed figures stood. Some of them did not use robes, but used other means to hide their true identities, just like himself.