The Third Return of the Necrotic Magic Swordsman

In the dim alleys just beside the CGA, away from the eyes of the bustling world, two figures stood locked in a silent standoff.

On one side stood Ilya, her emerald eyes burning with fury. On the other, Evan—known now as Raven—was calm, collected, yet burdened by the weight of everything that had transpired.

Scattered around them were the broken remains of undead summons, bones cracked and crumbling at Ilya’s feet. Her staff was clenched tightly in both hands, its tip glowing with a strange, vibrant energy.

”So it really was you, huh?” Evan finally broke the silence, his voice low and cold. ”Didn’t expect you to fall for such a cheap trick… just to attack me.”

Ilya’s lips curled in disdain. ”Look who’s talking—filth like you shouldn’t even mention words like tricks or betrayal. You murderer.”

With a snap, her staff shot upward. In an instant, crystal shards—glimmering green and deadly sharp—launched toward Evan like arrows of vengeance.

Evan reacted fast, conjuring a thick Bone Wall between them. But to his surprise, the crystals passed through it effortlessly, like phantoms through the mist.

”What the hell—!?” he muttered, eyes narrowing.

His instincts kicked in as he activated Quick Swap, his sword flashing into his grip. He deflected four of the larger shards, but several smaller ones grazed his arms and shoulders, burning like acid upon contact.

’Tch... her attacks bypass bone constructs… this isn’t just Holy energy—there’s Life energy mixed in too. A dual-nature class?’

He stepped back, blood sizzling against his skin, mind rapidly calculating.

’I’m at a disadvantage here... her class, the crystal spells may be related to her talent—she’s not just a healer.’

But Ilya wasn’t going to give him time to strategize.

”Where’s your attitude now, Raven? Did that smugness vanish already?” she snapped, her voice rising with emotion. ”You think anyone will believe your lies? Lucas is dead. And I’ll make sure you join him.”

Evan barely held his ground as wave after wave of crystalline projectiles forced him into full defence. Her aim was relentless—like she was training, and he was her target dummy.

”Tch… what are you doing, kid?” came Arven’s voice inside his head, ever unbothered. ”Getting outmatched by a unique healer? That doesn’t look good on your resume.”

”Shut up. I’m working on it,” Evan snapped back mentally, dodging left.

”You talking to yourself now?” Ilya shouted. ”Trying to bargain with ghosts? How pathetic.”

Evan grinned beneath his mask.

”Oh, you’re right,” he said mockingly. ”It is a ghost. Lucas is here, whispering to me—discipline the foolish teammate, Evan. She’s out of line.”

Ilya faltered, eyes widening for a split second. But it was enough.

From the shadows, broken bones began rattling. His undead were reforming—silent, cold, and crawling toward her like shadows reborn. One nearly grabbed her ankle before she leapt back, glaring at Evan like she’d seen a monster.

”You think I’ll run from your puppets?” she hissed. ”Let me show you the power of a unique class!”

She raised her staff.

Above her, a radiant orb formed—golden with threads of green spiralling through. It hovered, spun, and then shot upward.

The moment it ignited the sky, Evan’s summons screamed in unison.

They began to disintegrate under invisible rays of purification. A deadly, area-of-effect skill—no doubt meant to counter the undead.

He frowned.

”That’s enough,” Evan said, his voice losing all pretense. ”I told you—I didn’t kill Lucas. But if you still want revenge…”

”…then prepare to face the consequences.”

Tears shimmered in Ilya’s eyes, but her hatred burned brighter.

”I don’t fear death. Not when the person I loved is already gone.”

Evan fell silent. His expression turned unreadable beneath the mask.

’She’s not going to listen... then let’s finish this.’

He drew his twin short blades, their edges glinting with necrotic cold.

With a step into the shadows, he vanished.

Ilya’s eyes widened. ”Where—?”

A second later, he appeared before her and slashed toward her hands. She barely blocked with her staff, but the impact sent her stumbling back. Cracks ran through the weapon—it was on the verge of snapping.

Evan didn’t stop.

A Death Bolt soared toward her while Dark Veil blanketed her vision. She cried out but managed to conjure a golden shield to intercept it. Yet even behind that barrier, she trembled.

That aura… she remembered it.

That same overwhelming presence... from the dungeon that day.

”No, you can’t be behind that incident too... no... no. It must be my mistake you must have some familiar aura like it.” Ilya mumbled to herself as Evan was confused over it.

Bolt after bolt followed—Arcane bolt, Ice Spikes, Necro Heal—each attack whittled her down as she gasped for air. The veil faded, revealing Evan walking through her shattered barrier.

”What are you talking about, maybe your mind has also gone crazy after Lucas’s death but no more games,” he muttered.

He slashed again—fast, brutal—shattering her staff in half and drawing blood from her hands. Ilya screamed, her voice cracking from pain and disbelief.

She had never felt such power up close.

Never been touched in combat. Never been hurt this deeply.

But now, pain flooded her senses. Fear settled in.

Evan raised a dagger and brought it down—not to kill, but to pierce through her hand. It plunged cleanly, embedding itself into the earth behind her.

”AHHHHHHH—! Please! Stop—It hurts…!” she screamed, her body writhing.

Evan leaned in, his voice cold, emotionless.

”Do you see now? Do you still believe your lies?”

Blood pooled. Her body trembled. And yet—

”You… bastard,” she muttered through clenched teeth. ”I’ll kill you one day... not today, but soon. I’ll rip your throat like you did to Lucas.”

Even now… she persisted.

She raised a single shard of crystal—and slammed it into Evan’s side.

It pierced cleanly into his gut. Blood sprayed from his wound and splattered the alley floor.

She gasped. ”You… you didn’t dodge?”

Evan chuckled, coughing blood as he dropped to one knee.

”Do you really think I’d kill myself… over guilt? You’re out of your mind.”

He stood up again, gaze burning with clarity.

”It’s just a set-up… a preparation.”

He walked past her while whispering, raising a bone barrier around her with a wave of his hand, locking her in place.

”Wait here,” he said. ”I’ll be back… and then we’ll see who’s guilty.”

He vanished into the shadows once more, blood dripping behind him as he emerged outside the alley.

A group of nearby hunters turned toward him in alarm.

He waved them down. ”Call the officials. I have… a report to make.”

The hunters were worried something might have happened to Evan, but they still rushed off to call CGA officials for help while one remained by his side.

When they returned with a small group of officials, Evan calmly explained the situation. He spun a convincing story—claiming his teammates misunderstood him and now believed he was responsible for Lucas’s death. One of them had tried to kill him, and he barely escaped.

At first, the CGA officials were sceptical. They asked for proof.

But Evan was prepared. He told them to remain silent and simply follow him.

They returned to the alley where the fight had taken place. As they approached, they saw the large bone cage still standing. Evan raised a hand, signalling them to keep quiet from here on.

”Ilya!” Evan called out, raising his voice just enough to echo into the cage. ”Are you ready to go to the CGA and answer for your crimes?”

”You bastard!” Ilya screamed back, her voice hoarse and unhinged. ”You’re actually handing me over to the CGA?! Not before I rip you apart with my own hands! I’ll kill you or die trying!”

”But what did I ever do to you?” Evan replied, sounding defensive. ”I already explained, and Mr. Darian even confirmed that I wasn’t at fault. Lucas was possessed by a demon spirit!”

”I don’t care!” she snapped. ”All I know is that you killed him—and that’s enough for me to take your life! I’ll get my revenge, no matter the cost! Even if I become a criminal!”

”But I’m calling the officials now. You’re going in, whether you like it or not.”

”Hah! Do you really think they’ll believe your side of the story?” Ilya laughed maniacally. ”I’ll tell them you attacked me… that you tried to force yourself on me after murdering Lucas! That you planned this all along!”

She cackled like a madwoman, convinced her words would turn the tables.

But no response came from outside the cage.

Then, the bone bars began to retract and dissolve into mist.

What greeted Ilya next shattered her entire sense of control—Raven still stood there... but now, five others had joined him. Two of them were CGA officials. Her face turned pale as a ghost.

Her legs trembled. Her plan—her last desperate move—had completely backfired.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the looks on their faces told her it was over.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried, and failed, to hold them back as she knew that everything was over now.

Evan calmly stepped forward, reaching for the dagger still clutched in her hand. She didn’t resist. She didn’t even flinch.

Leaning closer, Evan whispered coldly into her ear.

”Ilya… you were right all along. I did kill Lucas. And I made you both go unconscious to make it easier to execute my plan. You were obstacles in my way and it worked perfectly as I wanted to let you both live but doing this now, you made your own life miserable from this point on.”

He smiled darkly as her eyes widened in horror.

”And you know what? I’ve got two surprises for you. First… I kept your Lucas’s body as remains. I’m planning to turn them into armour. Pretty efficient, huh?”

Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

”And second… the one who contracted me to kill Lucas? It was Darian. He wanted him dead. You both got caught in something far beyond your understanding.”

Evan’s voice turned softer, crueller.

”I was going to kill you myself… but now, you’ll rot in jail. And Tess? She’ll break down when she hears about this. Maybe even kill herself. But don’t worry… I won’t even lay a hand on her as there is no need for it.”

Ilya stood frozen. Her mind spiralled, every thought she had twisted and shattered.

A tiny part of her had always doubted her actions… had feared she was wrong.

Now, even that fragile piece crumbled.

She watched Evan walk away, his back to her.

Her broken staff lay beside her. She reached for it—clutching the jagged point—and in a flash, lunged at his back, aiming for his heart.

”You really were a fool, all this time...”

{Bone Cage}

His voice was barely a whisper but to her ears, she saw something coming out from below his feet.

Bone spikes erupted from beneath his feet and speared straight through her body.

Eight bone spikes pierced her in multiple places, lifting her helplessly into the air. Her body went limp, blood trailing from her mouth and eyes as her final breath slipped away.

Evan sighed, almost sadly.

”Why did you do that...? But I guess this makes things easier. Now I can take your talent too—just like I did with your boyfriend.”

His voice was soft as if mourning a fallen comrade. He gently pulled the spikes from her body and laid her down with care, his expression filled with guilt and heartbreak.

To the hunters and officials watching, he looked like a tragic survivor of betrayal.

But none of them could see what he truly was.

In front of Ilya’s corpse, Evan knelt.

But not to mourn.

He placed his hand over her head like trying to close her eyes which were still open, his voice low and urgent.

”. Be quick. We don’t have much time.”

Once more, the mysterious energy emerged from within him and enveloped Ilya’s body.

The officials beside him didn’t react at all.

Only Evan could see what was happening.

{[Detected a Lv. 75 Human Healer (Life-mage)]

[What do you wish to do:]

[Host has chosen the Plunder function.]

[Plundering in progress...]

[No abilities, Bloodline or Skills detected. Extracting body stats, Talents…]

[Stats Absorbed ➤ +67 STR | +81 AGL | +134 INT | +47 VIT | +23 END | +66 STA]

[Talent Absorbed ➤ Radiant Sanctum (S Rank)]

[Host has gained 113 EEP | T.P: 18,368.]

’Quite a bountiful harvest from this uninvited encounter…’

”Well, well, well. Looks like he really did score some interesting items,” a voice echoed casually in Evan’s mind. ”Such high-grade talents in one person like you, maybe those ten flies were really caring toward you. But hey, I suppose it’s a worthy reward after taking down a real candidate while pretending to be just another ordinary hunter.”

The voice belonged to Arven, who had been silent all this time. His sudden remark startled Evan enough to make him lose his balance and stumble back a bit.

One of the CGA officials nearby glanced at him with a strange expression as he checked on Ilya’s body to see if something was wrong but found nothing and didn’t say anything.

Once everything settled, Ilya’s body was officially transferred back to the CGA Association. After a long and thorough investigation—including a detailed report and questioning—Raven was cleared of any wrongdoing.

He was declared a victim of a teammate’s frenzied attack brought on by grief and misunderstanding.

Ilya, in turn, was labelled the aggressor—an unstable hunter who had lost control and attempted to murder her own comrade.

On Raven’s final request, a call was placed to a certain hunter named Tess. But by the time the message was sent… the one who made the request was already gone.

Just like that, Raven—DC-23’s rising hunter—vanished.

From that day forward, no one would see Raven again in the city of DC-23.

The façade had been buried alongside Lucas.

What remained now… was Evan Ravencall, also known as The Solo D-rank Necromancer.

*******************

Meanwhile, in the quiet house of Lucas, Tess waited.

Ilya had left earlier, saying she had something to take care of. But she hadn’t returned.

Tess sat alone in the dim light of the room, clutching a photo of Lucas—his bright, sun-like smile beaming back at her from the frame. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. The weight of loss clung to her like a shadow.

She sniffled quietly, speaking softly to the picture.

”Where is she? I’m getting tired of waiting... I’m going to scold her when she comes back. You should’ve said something to her too, Lucas. She always listened to you.”

But the photo, of course, gave no reply.

Only the sound of a phone ringing interrupted the silence.

She gently placed the photo down and walked toward her bed, picking up the phone that was displaying an unknown number.

”Hello? Tess… Bennett speaking.” She said 

”Hello,” came a formal voice from the other side. ”We’re calling from the CGA. This is regarding an incident involving the hunter named Ilya.”

Tess’s eyes widened.

”Yes? Is everything alright? Did she… do something reckless again? I’m so sorry if she caused any trouble! Please don’t arrest her—I’m on my way, just tell me where she is!”

”No, ma’am. It’s not what you’re thinking,” the official replied calmly. ”I regret to inform you… that Hunter Ilya is deceased. She attempted to attack her teammate—code name Raven—while under active surveillance from our officials. She attempted a sneak attack and was killed in self-defence. There were multiple witnesses.”

He paused for a moment, then added, ”If you do not arrive within the next day to collect the body, we will proceed with cremation.”

”Ah… hello? Are you still there?”

But there was no response.

Tess stood frozen, the phone clutched tightly in her trembling hands.

The words echoed in her mind like a death knell.

Ilya… was gone.

She had feared this. That her friend, blinded by grief and vengeance, would lose herself in a tragic mistake.

And now she was truly alone.

Lucas was dead.

Ilya was dead.

There was nothing left—no one left—to protect.

Yet before she could break completely, Tess took a deep breath.

There was still something she had to do. Something that couldn’t wait.

She reached for her phone and dialled a long, unfamiliar number—one she had kept locked away for a day like this.

After several rings, a woman’s voice answered on the other side.

”Hello. Please state the reason for your call.”

”I need to speak with Miss Faye. It’s urgent.”

”Do you have a prior appointment with her? We cannot allow just anyone to speak to Miss Faye without clearance.”

”Could you just tell her… it’s about her brother, Lucas. And that it’s her friend, Tess.”

”…Understood. Please hold for a moment while I check and then let me connect you to the line.”

The woman’s voice vanished, leaving only a heavy silence on the line. Tess sat frozen, clutching the phone like it was her only lifeline. Minutes passed. She was about to hang up in despair when finally—

”You’ve been granted permission. Connecting you now… you may speak.”

”Ah… Faye? Is that you?”

”Tess? Wow… it’s been forever since I heard your voice. What’s going on? Is my brother giving you too much trouble already?” Faye chuckled lightly. ”Oh! Did he awaken recently? You’re calling to tell me that, right?”

”…No. It’s not that. It’s something else… something I’m struggling to even say.”

”Huh? Don’t tell me… the two of you finally got together? Geez, I told you he was a fast charmer. I warned you to be careful! Haha, now you’ve fallen for him too? Come on, Miss Tess—what’s your wager for losing that bet?”

”No… please, Faye. Listen to me.” Tess’s voice cracked. ”Your brother…”

”What? What happened to Lucas? Tell me!”

”…He’s dead, Faye. Lucas… died today.”

”…”

”Faye? Are you still there?”

”…Yes. I’m here. Now tell me—everything. Don’t leave out a single detail. I want to know exactly what happened.”

Tess took a deep breath.

And then she began.

From Lucas’s awakening to the raid. From Mike’s partial betrayal, to Evan, to the incident with the rich family’s heir. From the Beast attack… to Raven… to Ilya’s tragic end. Every moment, every pain, every truth—Tess recounted it all.

She didn’t hold anything back, except for the most mundane details she didn’t wish to tell. Faye deserved to know the full story.

”…That idiot,” Faye finally muttered, her voice trembling. ”I told him to lay low. Wait until Tier 1… then come here to the Capital, and we’ll move forward together. But he didn’t listen. He always had that clumsy hero complex…”

Her voice broke, and Tess could hear the tears on the other end.

”I… I can’t take this anymore. I’ve lost too much. I think… I think I’ll just follow after him. There’s nothing left for me here—so maybe this is goodbye, Tess…”

”No! Wait! I’ll be there by tomorrow evening at the latest!” Faye’s voice turned sharp with conviction. ”You’re not dying until we figure out exactly what happened. I’ll investigate everything, even that guy Raven, the rumoured SS-rank Necromancer. We’ll find out who really killed my brother.”

”And when we do…” her tone dropped, cold and dangerous, ”...the one responsible—that Necromancer bastard—won’t live to see the next sunrise.”

Tess’s voice wavered as she whispered, ”Okay… please come quickly.”

She ended the call.

And then, alone once more, she wept—crying into the frame of Lucas’s photo.

Everything had fallen apart.

Lucas was gone.Ilya was gone.And now… even Faye, once a hopeful symbol of their future, was hurtling toward vengeance.

Faye Bennett—an SS grade prodigy of Dyna Crest, a Tier 2 Hunter handpicked for rapid advancement and becoming a true trump card for the country, and a seeded candidate for Nexus Expanse—was now returning to DC-23.

And with her return…

A storm was coming.

********************

Meanwhile, in Evan’s apartment…

The dim light of his room flickered faintly as Evan sat across from the strange, floating figure—none other than Arven, the mysterious entity who had emerged after the last battle.

Arven hovered lazily in mid-air, arms behind his head, spinning slowly like a bored spirit.

”Alright,” Evan said, exasperated, ”can you please explain what exactly you are—and why you’re sticking to me like gum on a boot?”

He looked like he was moments away from collapsing into bed when this uninvited presence showed up.

”Pfft! What are you even talking about? Didn’t I already tell you?” Arven smirked. ”I’m the one who saved your sorry life earlier, remember? I introduced myself right after I manifested!”

”Yeah… well, forgive me for not paying attention when a godlike being appears in front of me—one that could vaporize me at any moment!”

”A god?” Arven snorted. ”That half-baked wimp you faced couldn’t even compare to a Tier 4 Immortal God Avatar. Trust me, if he tried to harm you in my presence, he wouldn’t last a microsecond.”

Evan narrowed his eyes. ”That’s not reassuring. Why are you even with me? Don’t you have… somewhere else to go? You’re seriously going to ruin everything I’ve been planning if you keep tagging along.”

”Hah! Kid, what you’re calling a ’ruin’ is actually your destiny. And let me tell you—destiny? I hold that in the palm of my hand.”

He leaned forward, expression suddenly serious.

”With me by your side, you’ll climb to the very peak of this cosmic orb. You might even surpass my old master and reach Tier 10… a stage he couldn’t even comprehend before falling in battle.”

”…Tier 10?” Evan’s face scrunched in confusion. ”I don’t get a single word you’re saying.”

Arven chuckled. ”Then listen closely. I’ll say it one last time—the full version.”

Evan sat up, trying to process everything.

”My name… is Arven. I am the relic of a being who once ruled over the Abyss of the End. My former master was a Tier 9 being—an entity feared across several cosmos. And I…”

His eyes gleamed with otherworldly light.

”…am what remains of his legacy.”

—To be continued.