The Black Necromancer

"HAHAHAHA!" Booming laughter erupted around Leon as he examined the corroded bone. "Did you think you could actually fight against me? Did you really think so?!"

Leon grunted and looked around at the darkness that enveloped him. Indeed, it seemed too easy. The Paragon of Undeath, Izeal, had been a thorn in the side of the Nexus Being for a long time. A short confrontation would be too easy. Not to mention, Izeal must have been prepared to deal with him especially.

"I admit, you are a mighty foe. But I have defeated many others that have been thrown at me. I have made my preparations for this day, and so have many others. Does that guarantee success? No. But it does secure a chance at the very least.

As long as there is a chance, I will try my best to grasp it!" Leon's eyes blazed with a purple flame and his body grew hotter and brighter in the darkness that engulfed him.

"FUTILE ATTEMPTS!" Izeal's voice boomed and the darkness stirred, hurling attacks at Leon while also trying to encroach on the light that was generated from Leon's body, inching forward with every passing moment.

Leon's Divine Spark strained as he tried to resist the encroaching darkness. He had given up on hurling out random attacks and simply poured all his strength into strengthening the light that was emanating from his body. That was the best he could do.

'Wait... Is this really the best I can do?'

The sudden thought spawned in his mind, causing him to snap out of the despair that was beginning to well in his heart. He recalled that he had millions of summons at his beck and call. Despite the fact that most of their power did not matter at affairs of such level, the overall strength he could draw from them was nothing to scoff at!

Seizing this train of thought, Leon changed his course of actions. His formidable mind found it incredibly easy to reach out to his summons and request for one thing. Their full, undivided devotion and their power. The first was easy to acquire, as all his summons were undoubtedly devoted to him.

And the second, although a bit more tricky for the weaker summons, was also manageable with guidance from their master.

All this happened in a matter of seconds. In one moment, Izeal was gaining the upper hand, pressing down on the domain of light around Leon, and in the next moment, he was losing ground, pushed away by the absolute brilliance that radiated from Leon.

The sudden surge of power that burst out of Leon left Izeal shocked and unprepared, causing the Domain of Darkness that he had erected around Leon to fall apart, revealing the both of them to the other fighters.

Immediately, both sides refrained from clashing with each other and took in the sights of Leon and the Paragon of Undeath. At once, all could spot the radiance that emanated from Leon and the tangible darkness that leaked from the form of Izeal.

On the other hand, the True Gods on the side of Izeal bore marks of damage. They were no longer in their peak state and had suffered in the hands of the True Gods that had gathered to back Leon. Meanwhile, the True Gods of Datar were in a much better state.

With the monk-like True God among them acting as a support and sending out reinforcing beams and wards, it was easier for them to avoid damage and restore whatever injuries and energies they had incurred and expended through the fighting.

Leon did not spare a glance at his allies or other enemies. What had allowed Izeal to capture him before was allowing himself to get distracted previously. He would not make the same mistake twice.

Without wasting a beat, Leon turned into a flash of light and arrived before Izeal's form, delivering a searing hot blow to the mighty True God's chest that sent him flying back a short distance before regaining his composure.

Izeal's eyes bulged widely as he struggled to comprehend how Leon's strength had risen so high in just a moment. He temporarily forgot to retaliate as his mind began to devolve into madness and hysteria. A deep, maniacal laughter bubble from his chest that had caved in.

"I never expected you to be able to put up such a fierce resistance after that. It seems that I have to go all out if I want to secure this prize of mine." Izeal's voice took on an edge that made Leon's spine crawl with weariness.

The urgency in his actions increased as he flattened his palm and made a slashing motion, causing a slash made of searing hot white light to cleave down on Izeal. The slash collided with Izeal, burning deep into his body before being extinguished and leaving a deep charred mark.

Before Leon could unleash another attack, his body froze as an absolutely terrifying aura burst out of Izeal. The other True Gods also froze on the spot as Izeal's body devolved into a mass of bursting flesh and flames that spread out in every direction.

Wails of agony and pain rang out endlessly as an endless amount of souls that had been enslaved by Izeal came to the forefront, voicing their pain and despair that had accumulated over countless ages.

All of this malevolence and despair slammed into Leon face first, stunning him long enough for a powerful force of energy to collide with him, sending him flying far away from Izeal's current location.

CRACK!

The sound of his bones cracking under the force of the hit was palpable and shocking, however, after leaning that Izeal could corrode his bones, Leon was not as shocked as he would have been. He merely composed himself and stopped his flight, regaining his balance and turning to see what had become of Izeal.

He spread his senses and turned to face that direction, only to be met with nothing. When he turned around again, he found that he was not able to locate any of the other True Gods on the battlefield. After a third check, he also realized that the location that he was currently in was not the same as the battlefield that he had been on moments ago!