Necromancer Of The Shadows

Evan could have broken the soul seal while he was still inside the Dryads’ closed world.

However, since he had already called Sylvan and was preparing to head toward the battlefield, and because he had no idea how long it would take him to go through all the memories sealed within it, he had decided to wait until after returning from the battlefield before breaking it.

But now, the situation was dire, and there was a possibility that the memories inside the soul seal could help him.

Because of this, Evan did not hesitate for even a second before forcefully shattering it.

The instant the soul seal broke, a massive influx of memories flooded his mind and his vision shifted.

****

A colossal tree stood amidst the starry sky, so enormous that it seemed to encompass the entire world within itself, silently witnessing the birth and destruction of countless worlds.

The tree possessed vibrant green leaves that filled its massive canopy, some large and some small.

Yet even the smallest leaf on the tree was larger than an entire planet, displaying just how colossal the tree truly was, since even its leaves dwarfed planets in size.

’The Universal Tree…’

Evan had seen the same tree several times in his memories before, so the moment he saw it, he recognized it immediately.

’Are these memories from before the time Azroth destroyed the Universal Tree?’

This thought appeared in Evan’s mind because he knew Azroth had destroyed the Universal Tree.

It was also due to the destruction of the Universal Tree that many regions of the Origin Universe had been destroyed and swallowed by the void.

Most of those areas were either annihilated by void energy or completely lost within the endless void.

The current Utopia was also one of the regions swallowed by the void during that catastrophe.

These regions that vanished into the void later came to be known as the Lost Worlds.

(A/N: These details were explained in the previous volume when Evan met Emperor Velgoth in the Azragoth World. You can revisit those Chapters for more information if you have forgotten.)

Just as Evan was thinking about this, the colossal tree before him suddenly shook violently.

And in the very next instant—

BANG!

A gigantic branch, larger than an entire galaxy, crashed some distance away from him, crushing countless stars in the process.

’Well… I think I already know who is responsible for harming nature by chopping down that branch.’

Evan raised his head and looked toward the place from where the branch had fallen and sure enough, he saw himself, or rather Azroth, who was hovering before the Universal Tree with an indifferent expression, holding a pitch-black giant axe in his hand.

’Is he role-playing as a woodcutter this time?’

Evan could not help but complain inwardly when he saw Azroth wielding such a massive axe.

However, his expression suddenly changed when he noticed something unusual about the weapon in Azroth’s hand.

’That axe… Did he create it using the Shadow Forge skill?’

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—) Shadow Forge: Using this skill, you can transform your shadow into solid objects such as weapons, armor, or tools. The strength of the object created using your shadow depends on the level of your core.

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Shadow Forge was a skill Evan had obtained when he advanced to rank two inside the Tomb of the Ancient.

It was a class-specific skill and an extremely powerful one at that. However, after obtaining the Halberd of Destruction, he had rarely used it anymore because the halberd was simply too powerful to compare with ordinary shadow-forged weapons.

But now, seeing Azroth chop down a branch of the Universal Tree using a weapon created from Shadow Forge, Evan realized he might have severely underestimated the potential of this skill.

’Yeah,none of my class-specific skills are ordinary.’

Evan nodded thoughtfully, realizing that he needed to further develop not only his understanding of laws, but also his mastery over his skills if he wanted to use them perfectly.

’Most of my class-specific skills are related to Primordial Shadow Energy or aspects of shadow. Once I finish dealing with all the matters occupying me right now, I should focus on developing my usage of shadow energy more thoroughly.’

Just as Evan was lost in thought, Azroth once again raised his axe with a blank, indifferent expression and prepared to chop down another branch.

But just then, a woman suddenly appeared before him.

“Stop it, you lunatic! Do you even know how many worlds have been destroyed because you chopped down that branch?”

’The spirit of the Universal Tree.’

Evan instantly recognized the woman who had appeared to stop Azroth.

Seeing her, Azroth lowered his axe.

And Evan did not know whether he was hallucinating or not, but for a brief moment, he seemed to notice a trace of regret on Azroth’s face, as though he was genuinely disappointed that the spirit had stopped him from chopping down another branch.

“If you had come out when I called earlier, I wouldn’t have needed to use this method,” Azroth said expressionlessly.

At the same time, his shadow stretched across the galaxy, swallowing the gigantic branch and storing it within his shadow storage.

The spirit of the Universal Tree did not even bother asking why he was taking away the branch, which could easily be used as the main material for crafting a rank-six weapon because she already knew this lunatic would probably use it as firewood to cook his food just to give it a “unique flavor.”

“How many times have I told you? I can’t give that thing to you,” The spirit said angrily.

“If it were anything else, I might have agreed. But that thing is not something you can simply take away just because you want it.”

Azroth’s eyes gradually turned cold upon hearing the spirit’s words.

“I have been trying to convince you peacefully for quite some time now. If you continue acting like this, I am afraid I will have to use a different method.”

“Peacefully?”

The spirit of the Universal Tree laughed in anger as she looked at the more than ten branches that had already been cut down by this lunatic over the past few days.

“If you don’t even know the meaning of peace, then don’t speak about it.”

Evan’s mouth twitched involuntarily when he heard her words because, for some reason, he immediately thought about how he himself always called himself an advocate of peace while causing chaos everywhere he went.

’Well, we are essentially the same person, so it’s normal for a few things to match.’

“Besides, even though you are strong, it is impossible for even you to take away that thing unless I allow it.”

Azroth looked at the spirit standing before him, his expression remaining completely indifferent.

“Since that is the case, I hope you won’t regret it.”

After saying that, he turned around and began to leave without doing anything further.

“Azroth, if you continue acting like this, you will die someday.”

Azroth’s footsteps paused for a brief moment when he heard the spirit’s words and he glanced at her over his shoulder.

“There does not exist a single existence in the world who can kill me unless I wish to die myself.”

He spoke calmly before continuing to walk away once more.

“That is my power… and also my curse.”