The Black Necromancer

Whoosh!

Several figures blurred through the sky while dodging hundreds of high powered attacks. In the sky, massive magic airships floated, their cannons roaring constantly as they blasted magic shots at the flying targets.

Aboard the most flagship of the fleet that protected Nylenor, Empress Vere stood proudly, watching how things were evolving on the battlefield. Behind her, her father stood and watched as Vera's subordinates fought against the invading forces of the Army of Destruction.

He could not fully comprehend how she and her people had been able to create these masterful works of art that sowed destruction on such a massive scale.

The former emperor had been let out of his imprisonment only for the sake of his expertise and power. If he had been weak, he would have been left to remain in his holding cell. However, as one of the strongest experts of the Elven Empire, his strength was valued, especially in such troubling times.

"Vera..." He whispered under his breath but stopped himself and shook his head.

'Her vision stretched further than mine. I was blind. she is indeed, a fitting ruler to see the Elves to a brighter future.' He sighed with a renewed resolve. The burden on his heart lessened but did not completely vanish. Instead, he turned his attention back to the ongoing battle between the forces of the Elven Empire.

Despite having lost quite a number of powerful A ranks in the civil war, the strength of the empire did not decline too much. With the introduction and mass production of the magic airships which could match the combat prowess of an A rank, the empire was easily able to hold its own against the many invaders that came knocking on its doorstep.

Hundreds of magic airships of varying sizes fired wildly at the incoming enemies without any care. Entire hordes of enemies were swept out of the sky, with only their ashes remaining. Even A ranks withered under the curtain of fire.

Vera had used her power to show that the title of the Elves being the strongest world power had not changed, even after their civil war, which had drained a lot of their strength.

The twenty eight A ranks of the enemy that had come to fight in the Elven Empire were soon beaten down and killed. Two of them were captured, however, as Vera wanted to find out something from them.

While it may seem as if defeating twenty eight A ranks was overexaggerated, when considering the dozens of magic airships that could display the combat power of an A rank, it was not really a big deal.

Vera turned around and stepped on a teleportation formation after the A ranks had been dealt with. Alvar took a final look at the fleet of magic airships before following after his daughter. When he regained his wits after the teleportation, he found that Vera was already walking away and he suppressed another sigh.

Alvar was proud of his daughter. He had been greatly displeased and full of grief after discovering her betrayal, but over time, as the Empire began to bloom even more than before, he came to realize and understand his wrongs and had begun to regret not giving his daughter a listening ear back then. Perhaps things would have been different now.

Alvar followed Vera in silence as she was flanked by two Peak A rank guards. Eventually, they arrived in a room that was charged to the brim with mana. In the center of the room, two people were chained to the ground. Their bodies were covered in complex glowing runes that released a heavy pressure.

The pressure emanated from the runes was so strong that they could barely even moved their heads, which were the only parts of their body that were uncovered.

When the two of them saw Vera enter the room while being flanked by two Peak A rank guards, they snarled. One of them let out a laugh and pinned his gaze on Vera.

"Empress of the Elven Empire, hehehe... Do you think you can do anything to us, just because you have captured us? Think again!" The one eyes creature said.

"I do not need you for much. I simply want to test out a gift that was given to me." Vera was unconcerned as she spoke. She waved her hand and a black skull the size of her fist appeared in the air above her open palm. It had a small purple flame floating within the skull which lit up the eye sockets.

This skull was a gift given to Vera by Leon after his ascension. It had the ability to steal the souls of others and enslave them, allowing them to serve the person who had the skull in their possession. A bonus was that the skull was linked to Vera's soul, which meant it could not be stolen from Vera. If she died, it would also be destroyed.

"What is that?" The A ranks felt a hint of danger emanating from the skull and they were suddenly apprehensive. They looked at Vera with much more caution and wariness than before.

"You can find out from the inside." Vera said and activated the skull by pouring in her mana into it. The small flame within the skull suddenly turned into a blazing fire. The jaws of the skull loosened and opened, allowing the flames to pour out of the mouth, nose and eye cavities of the skull. The flames reached out and engulfed the bodies of the two creatures.

"Ahhhh!" The screams of the creatures as their souls were being ripped out of their bodies resounded through the room but Vera's expression did not change one bit. She was already aware of the excruciating pain that would befall the being who was the target of this item. Leon had specifically told her about it.

It was something that was meant to be used on the forces of the Army of Destruction in the first place, so he did not care about making the transition humane.