Just then, the black flames enveloping Zhong Shenxiu abruptly vanished, replaced by two spheres of darkness coalescing in his hands! These dark orbs, each the size of a large ball, spun erratically in Zhong Shenxiu's grasp, appearing unnervingly destructive.

What in the world is that? Angelia’s pupils instantly dilated again.

Her gaze had been fixed solely on Zhong Shenxiu. To see the black flames disappear and those two dark orbs suddenly materialize, how could she not be shocked!

Even without knowing the nature or full power of these dark spheres, Angelia was certain of one thing: they would be anything but simple. The mercenaries of the "Double Axe Mercenary Group," focused only on escape, bitterly wished they had sprouted extra legs.

They fled outward in every direction with every ounce of speed they possessed, paying no heed whatsoever to Zhong Shenxiu's movements. Meanwhile, Robin had fully transformed into the Grim Reaper; wherever he passed, a life was extinguished.

Each death was instantaneous, a perfect demonstration of speed, ruthlessness, and precision. As Robin swept past Christof, the mercenary captain merely managed a choked whisper—"So fast..."—before his life ended.

Tragically, even in death, he didn't comprehend how he’d been struck, only sensing a fleeting black shadow in his fading awareness. With Christof dispatched, the "Double Axe Mercenary Group" was instantly headless.

The remaining members scattered in even more desperate flight, caring nothing for direction—north, south, east, or west—just fleeing toward the nearest opening. The scene was one of absolute pandemonium, wails echoing like ghosts.

Because Robin could only focus on one direction at a time, a few lucky souls managed to sprint several hundred meters away. But this did not mean they had truly escaped.

Putting aside Robin’s ability to catch them effortlessly, the waiting "Demon" lurking nearby was certainly not something they could simply slip past. It was at this moment that Zhong Shenxiu finally moved.

He slowly lowered both hands, and the two black orbs dropped from his grasp like dew from a lotus leaf, sinking instantly into the earth and vanishing from sight. This was a technique Zhong Shenxiu had recently mastered—the Hand of Hell!

Instantly, those still scrambling to flee collapsed, one after another. Beneath them, shadowy black hands gripped their ankles, pulling downward.

“What is this?” In terror, the victims began to struggle frantically, but no matter how hard they fought, they could not break free from these dark grips. The hands seemed genuinely summoned from the depths of the netherworld, dragging them down into the abyss.

“Let me go, let me go, don't kill me! Don't kill me!” A chorus of desperate cries erupted, and in that moment, they tasted the true horror of awaiting inevitable death.

A Necromancer? Could he be a Necromancer?

Angelia seemed to finally grasp something, and watching Zhong Shenxiu’s placid expression, her mind underwent a violent, internal upheaval! Yes, this was the power of Dark Magic.

Only Necromancers wielded Dark Magic! Angelia finally recalled the brief descriptions of Necromancers from her extracurricular textbooks.

Since she specialized as a Swordsman, her knowledge of the magical arts was purely peripheral. Yet, one detail troubled Angelia greatly: weren't Necromancers supposed to fear the sunlight, keeping their faces perpetually hidden beneath their robes?

Why was this young boy different? Why this contradiction?

Could the textbooks be incomplete? Angelia, being no student of magic, allowed herself to doubt the established texts!

Good heavens! A strange Swordsman paired with a mysterious Necromancer—what kind of combination was this?

The shock Angelia felt was beyond any possible verbal description! While Angelia was still marveling at the partnership between Robin and Zhong Shenxiu, one of the fleeing "Double Axe Mercenary Group" members suddenly bolted directly toward her location.

However, when the man was about four or five meters away from Angelia, a pair of black hands seized him too. “Save me!

Please, save me!” the man screamed toward Angelia in utter despair. At this moment, Angelia was frozen stiff by the sudden horror, staring blankly as the man thrashed in agony until he was abruptly yanked down into the soil.

Moments later, all the shrieks ceased. Silence returned to the area.

But Angelia’s heart could not find peace. She felt her own heart hammering violently, threatening to burst from her chest.

Unlike before, this pounding was not due to tension, but sheer terror! Though she had witnessed killing before, she had never seen anything like this—a living, breathing person being forcefully dragged into “hell” right before her eyes!

It was terrifying, utterly bizarre! Especially the look of absolute despair on that man’s face as he vanished—it struck Angelia to her core.

Is this the true power of a Necromancer? she thought to herself.

The battle was finally over. Every last member of the "Double Axe Mercenary Group" was eliminated.

Robin sheathed his sword and returned to Zhong Shenxiu’s side. Zhong Shenxiu surveyed the carnage.

He suddenly realized that since learning the Arts of Darkness, he hadn't actually summoned a single Skeleton Warrior. With that thought, Zhong Shenxiu formed a strange hand seal and called out crisply, "Come forth, my warriors!" As the words left his lips, more than a dozen Skeleton Warriors—gleaming white—crawled forth from among the scattered, broken corpses.

(Summoning Skeleton Warriors requires corpses; animal remains only suffice for summoning Skeleton Animals. This is why Zhong Shenxiu had never summoned them before to handle manual labor.) The skeletons shook their frames slightly and then stood obediently before Zhong Shenxiu, as docile as dutiful grandchildren.

"Not bad," Zhong Shenxiu approved. He could now control these warriors with mere thought.

Unlike the servants of other Necromancers, Zhong Shenxiu’s skeletons would not vanish if he left the area; they retained the ability to move freely and vigorously. Even better, Zhong Shenxiu didn't need to micromanage them.

A single command was enough for them to execute tasks diligently—a true saving of time and effort! Angelia’s mouth was now agape wide enough to fit an egg.

Watching the imposing, vigorous Skeleton Warriors conjured by Zhong Shenxiu, Angelia’s mind went completely numb; her brain circuits seemed to have shorted out! But then, Angelia’s expression abruptly changed, her eyes filling with profound dread!

She watched as Zhong Shenxiu and Robin, leading their legion of skeletons, began walking directly toward her. What were they going to do?

Were they going to kill her to silence her? Angelia’s heart was already working far beyond its capacity!

For more novels, visit storyread.net.