ch 79 ,80,81
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Chapter 79 – The Collar and the Choice
At midnight, beneath the altar of bones, a ripple passed through Ray's domain.
The ground didn't shake.
Reality did.
> [God Shop Transaction Complete]
[Reward: Seed of Subjugation – Slave Collar Prototype I]
[Effect: Can bind 1 creature (beast, humanoid, or undead) into absolute loyalty. Requires planting directly into target's soul.]
Ray stared at the item that materialized in his hand.
It looked like a silver ring made of thorns, pulsing softly.
"…This doesn't feel like a gift," he muttered.
Seventeen answered softly.
"It's a tool. You control how cruel it becomes."
---
Ray held the collar between two fingers, considering the possibilities.
"You said I can use this on anything?"
"Anything with a soul."
Beast. Undead. Human.
Ray's fingers tightened. "What if it resists?"
"Then it breaks. Or they do."
He didn't flinch. Not this time.
---
Later – Deep in the Bone Orchard
Graverend padded beside him silently, sniffing the strange wind.
Murk followed behind, acid-mouthed and ever restless.
Ray stopped at the edge of a breeding pen filled with violent rats — large, mutated F-rank beasts he'd been feeding dark marrow.
He opened the cage.
A massive rat-beast charged out — barbed tail lashing, fangs dripping.
Ray raised his hand.
"Let's test the collar."
> [Slave Collar Attempt – Target: Marrow Fang (F+ Rank)]
The ring of thorns hissed as it flew. It phased through the rat's skull—then latched into its shadow.
The beast shrieked—
—and then fell still.
Its eyes glowed faintly red.
> [Success. Target Bound.]
Ray exhaled. The creature knelt.
"…Now that's loyalty."
---
Meanwhile – Academy Underground
Maris stood in the restricted archive.
Old books. Banned maps. A mural showing twelve gates and… one sealed by golden chains.
She didn't know why she was here.
Only that something kept whispering her name in dreams.
> Find the boy in the forest.
He carries the weight of death.
And the gift of defiance.
Her hand hovered over the oldest scroll.
The one that bore the title:
"The Last Necromancer."
---
Back in the Domain
Ray watched the Marrow Fang curl at his feet, completely submissive.
Seventeen whispered.
"Used well, these collars can build you an army of beasts with instincts. Something the undead lack."
Ray nodded slowly.
"But what about people?"
There was silence.
Then—
"Only if you can live with what they become."
--
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Chapter 80 – The Hunted Become Hunters
Two days later.
The trees outside the academy rustled unnaturally. It wasn't wind.
Ray walked through the forest path, his uniform neat, his face calm.
Behind that mask, Seventeen whispered.
"An elite team is approaching. Five members. Sent to scout for dimensional anomalies."
Ray didn't stop walking.
"They're not just scouting, are they?"
"They're hunting. And they're scared."
---
Meanwhile – Academy Briefing Room
Professor Elandra's tone was clipped. "We've confirmed the presence of a Classed Necromancer with summoning power beyond standard limits. This is a Code Red."
The students chosen for the task sat in silence.
Maris, still hiding what she knew.
Gavven, a Rank D wind user, arrogant and overconfident.
Len, a silent sword prodigy.
Tessa, flame-caster, battle-hardened.
Orun, beast tamer.
Their goal wasn't arrest.
It was termination.
---
Back in the Forest
Ray stopped walking.
Before him, standing mid-path, was a wolf.
Not Graverend.
This one was white. Too pale. Its eyes glowed not with bloodlust, but something else.
Seventeen reacted first.
"This is a Domain Beast. It crossed over through the crack."
> [Beast Detected – Name: Veyla the Soulhowler]
[Rank: E+ – Subtype: Dimensional]
[Affiliation: None – Seeks Host]
The beast… bowed?
Ray blinked. "What are you?"
And then—
> [Skill Unlocked: Pact of the Hollow Soul]
[You may forge a bond with wandering Domain Beasts. Success grants unique evolution traits.]
The wolf stepped forward.
And spoke.
"Let me hunt for you, Walker of Bone."
Ray smiled.
"Then hunt."
---
Deep in the Academy's Forbidden Archives
A scroll unfurled itself.
A single line burned itself into its surface.
> "The Gate has cracked. The Boy with the Bone Star lives."
And in a hidden chamber, an old priest opened his eyes.
"…We are already too late."
---
Back to the Domain – One Hour Later
Ray's units stirred.
Warcha grunted near the altar. The Bone Crows shrieked from their nests. Something was wrong.
Seventeen confirmed it.
"The team is nearing the domain's outer edge. They have a detection crystal. You must choose: conceal… or confront."
Ray didn't hesitate.
"Let them in. Then we'll see if they still want to hunt."
---
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Chapter 81 – Orchard of Bones
The five academy students stood just beyond the treeline.
Mist curled along the ground, unnaturally thick. Tessa frowned. "I've never seen fog like this. Not in this part of the forest."
Len held his sword in reverse grip. "This is controlled. Someone's doing this on purpose."
Maris stayed quiet.
Her heartbeat was steady… but her mind wasn't.
Because she recognized that feeling. That subtle weight in the air. That cold, steady presence pressing against her skin.
Necromancy. Powerful. Unnatural. Hungry.
"Stop," she said suddenly. "Something's—"
Too late.
A soft snap echoed through the trees.
Then a bone arrow lodged into the ground between their feet.
---
Meanwhile – Inside the Domain
Ray stood just beyond the treeline, calm, arms crossed.
Veyla crouched beside him, silent and alert, her white fur gleaming. Her form had shifted — longer claws, eyes glowing faint silver.
"Permission to hunt?" she whispered, her voice like wind through teeth.
"Not yet," Ray said. "Let them enter. I want them to see."
Behind him, the Bone Orchard stirred.
Skeletons stood in perfect formation, weapons in hand.
Graverend growled once and began circling.
Warcha said nothing — only walked to the altar and waited.
---
Inside the Forest
They crossed the edge.
The world changed.
The moment they stepped past the boundary, the trees darkened, the fog grew thicker… and the sound stopped.
No birds. No wind. No rustle. Just… silence.
Then the bones started to whisper.
Tessa lit a flame in her hand. "Something's wrong."
The skeletons didn't rush them.
They marched into view — shields raised, formation perfect.
Nine of them.
And behind them, the Bone Wolf snarling like a warhorn.
"Formation!" Gavven shouted.
That's when Warcha arrived.
The air cracked.
A ten-foot tall undead, cloaked in broken armor, dragging a massive axe behind him.
He pointed at the group… and the skeletons charged.
---
Battle – Domain Edge
Tessa's fire shot forward, engulfing the lead skeletons — but they didn't scream. Didn't flinch. They burned and kept fighting.
Gavven sliced through two — only for them to grab his arms even while falling apart.
Len clashed with Warcha.
Steel met bone.
Len's blade shattered.
"What—"
Warcha grabbed him by the throat and threw him back like a ragdoll.
Veyla leapt from the shadows.
She didn't go for Maris.
She went for Orun, the beast tamer.
His summoned wolf lunged at her.
She tore it in half mid-air.
---
Meanwhile – Ray Watches
Seventeen spoke coldly.
"You could kill them all. Easily."
Ray didn't answer at first.
He watched the students struggle, retreat, regroup.
Watched Maris hesitate — not attacking, not defending.
Then he said quietly, "They're not ready for war. But they think they are. Let's break the illusion."
---
Final Sequence
Ray stepped into view.
Fog parted.
Warcha and Veyla immediately knelt.
The rest of the undead froze mid-strike.
The academy students stared — breathless, bloodied, confused.
Ray spoke only one line.
"You entered my domain with the intent to kill me."
He raised one hand.
Bone vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping around their legs.
"I could end this here."
Pause.
"But I won't. Not yet."
He walked forward, expression unreadable.
"This is your first warning. The next time you bring war—come prepared to lose more than your pride."
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End of Chapter 81