Witch Hunter Rhapsody

A lich's mutilated body can become a truly powerful wizard, but it can never become itself.

These lich bodies were designed from the outset to be used by archlich lords, to be offered up when archlich lords faced crises and needed to replace their bodies.

The great liches also always used their spare bodies as battle puppets.

After all, sometimes it's better to waste a spare body than to have your own life threatened.

So, the lich's spare body decided to do whatever it took to complete Raphael's order, and used its own life box as material to unleash a large-scale spell.

The demigod monster was summoned through an interdimensional portal, and the lich's remains were tasked with closing that portal!

Of course, such an action would directly damage the lich's spare body, and Raphael could already foresee how his teacher would reprimand him.

Fortunately, Alistair's resurrection spell was already complete.

Declan didn't have the extra energy to pay attention to the fact that his teacher's summoned creature had been sent away; he was only looking at Raphael and Alistair in the center of the magic circle.

The last time Alistair was able to be killed was because the latter was unprepared and was also suppressed by the even more powerful warrior Vitas.

Wizards always look down on mortals, but they must also admit that in battle, these fragile mortals can always play a different role.

Not to mention that besides Vitas, there is also the incredibly powerful monster Viya.

In a one-on-one fight, I might not be able to defeat Alistair, let alone now there's a necromancer whose background I don't know.

Necromancers always possess unimaginable power and unexpected countermeasures.

Or should we run away?

I was just here to receive Viya's academic achievements, so why did it turn out like this? In fact, the person who came to receive the academic achievements in the first place wasn't me, but my younger brother.

But then his younger brother also got into trouble.

I originally wanted to focus on academic research, but the current situation is quite different from my plans.

Otherwise, I should run away; the teacher will surely forgive me.

Nectus certainly wouldn't kill himself over such a trivial matter; he truly is the best teacher among wizards.

Let's run away.

Raphael did not relax; the final step of the magic circle was to take control of Alistair.

The principle behind this spell is less about resurrection and more about extracting Alistair's memories and implanting them into a newly created body.

In this process, memory loss and confusion of consciousness are inevitable, and even when Raphael prepared a resurrection spell for himself, he could not completely solve this problem.

Raphael must take control of the resurrected Alistair before Alistair can figure out what's going on.

However, the magic circle's power was insufficient.

After resisting the repeated attacks of the guy in front of me and resurrecting Alistair, I don't know what function the remaining magic power of the magic circle can perform.

It's unclear whether the magic circle pre-carved onto Alistair will function properly.

If it weren't for this wizard in front of me.

This is no longer the time to think about it.

Alistair, in the center of the magic circle, finally opened his eyes.

……

Alistair is an ordinary person.

This is a perspective based on family background.

In terms of wisdom, he was confident that he deserved to be a great wizard.

He thought this way when he was reading in that dilapidated and impoverished home, and he thought the same way when his food was taken away by children older than him.

Wizard, wizard, wizard, knowledge, knowledge, knowledge.

He is destined to become a great wizard.

Indeed, after passing the magic exam held by Draco in the big city, he successfully entered the magic academy founded by Draco, and distinguished himself in that terrible place, eventually becoming one of the most elite students of Draco.

Alistair was confident that he was capable of calling himself Drak's best student.

Although the remaining two would certainly not admit it, Alistair felt their opinions were irrelevant; that was the arrogance of wizards.

That's why Alistair dislikes Viya.

I hate this guy. He's clearly not good enough, and he has nothing to be proud of. Even the other two reading leaders are useless, but at least they have some achievements. Even if they can't compare to me, they're still better than Viya.

To be honest, Viya's academic level is only slightly better than that of an average student, like Maximus.

I first met Viya at my teacher's research project. Viya was wearing an ordinary wizard's robe and had a faint smile on her face.

Damn it, who made her laugh like that?

Is she some kind of powerful wizard? What academic qualifications does she have? Why can such an ordinary person speak to me so calmly and naturally?

The wizarding world is a hierarchical world; how could someone without knowledge appear in such a place?

"Hello, I'm Viya, are you Alistair?"

"Yes, I am Alistair. Viya, you're new here, I've heard of you."

Alistair had certainly heard about it. He knew all the newcomers in this year's class; some were talented and worth nurturing, while others were not so talented that they didn't need much attention.

Why did the teacher hire so many useless people?

As Alistair thought this, the other two leaders also cast questioning glances at Viya.

This should be a secret meeting between one's own teacher and the leader of the reading, to discuss the future affairs and policies of the school and the academy. Why is Viya here?

Finally, Alistair was ready to ask his question.

"Viya, why are you here?"

"Sit down, Alistair, we're about to begin the meeting."

It's a teacher!

Draco could only sit down.

Draco looked at the group, a hint of kindness flashing in his eyes before he looked away.

"teacher."

"Um."

Draco didn't say anything more, as he always did, and all the leaders knew that if it was something Draco wanted to say, he would say it.

If it's something he doesn't want to talk about, then he won't say it.

"I know what you're confused about. Come here, Viya. Come to my side."

Alistair was jealous.

He had studied under Draco for almost ten years and had never been treated like this by his teacher. His teacher had never allowed him to stand beside him.

He could see that jealousy on the faces of the other two.

"This is a new student admitted this year. You should already know that every year you recruit new people into your faction, and I'm used to it. However, there are some things you don't know."

Draco paused for a moment, then smiled.

Alistair was even more envious. What exactly did Viya do to make her teacher value her so much?

"But what you may not know is that Viya is my daughter."

Viya Graceling.

Alistair learned her full name for the first time.

"If possible, I hope you can help me take care of her. I don't want anyone to know that she is my daughter."

Alistair's attitude towards Viya has changed somewhat.

The teacher's daughter?

She's the daughter of my most respected teacher? In that case, even if she's academically incompetent, I have to find a way to take good care of her.

Alistair was the first to approach Viya; he went to ask her if she had any discomforts on the third day after the meeting.

This opportunity led to a better relationship between him and Viya.

Of course, Alistair doesn't think he's using Viya to curry favor with his teacher. His teacher changed his life and helped him achieve his dreams, so what's wrong with him wanting to repay his teacher in some way?

Gradually, he noticed the difference in Viya. She was a gentle person, but she was still an excellent wizard in academics.

Her interests lie in the human body, and her goal may be to become a so-called master of golems, and she may try to extend her reach into the extraordinary realm of life.

"Why do you want to create life? And why do you want to create a perfect human being?" Alistair once asked her.

"Don't you think this kind of thing is extremely sacred?"

"sacred?"

"Yes, I want to create a more perfect version of myself."

Why?

Looking at Alistair's sincere face, Viya hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said.

"I hope to become a better version of myself, so that my father will have higher expectations for me."

Alistair understood immediately.

So that's how it is. Under such honors for their fathers, who wouldn't feel flustered?

He found it very interesting.

"Sure, if there's anything I can help you with in the future, feel free to come to me. I'm also somewhat interested in this area."

"Really?"

Viya's smile was genuine.

"I need some young cadavers recently, preferably fresh ones, and I think that could be a very important variable."

"You can just bring some people back yourself. As long as you're careful, you won't be discovered. And with your status, even if you are discovered, it won't be a big problem."

Alistair and Viya's relationship gradually improved.

He thought this was a good idea; getting along well with the teacher's daughter would benefit both himself and the teacher.

However, for some reason, the teacher gradually began to distance himself from him. First, he became uninterested in his research, and then he was even unwilling to say more about teaching.

This feeling was so strange that Alistair also felt a kind of fear, a fear that was different from that of ordinary students.

He was afraid of falling behind, returning to the time when he had to stay up all night doing experiments, reading original texts, and writing data, huddled in that corner waiting to make some achievements.

Damn it, how could he possibly go back to that state?

Alistair wanted to find the reason, and the reason seemed to appear before him very soon.

Viya made a mistake by engaging in academic discussions with Nectus, her teacher's enemy, and was discovered. Worst of all, this was discovered by a small group of people; if they didn't take action, the teacher's academic authority would be...

Ultimately, in a place similar to the meeting where they first met Via, Alistair and the others banished Via to the city of Ortham, restricting the scope of her laboratory, limiting her research funding, and restricting her interactions with other wizards.

"Viya, I still don't understand why you did this."

Alistair reverted to his initial attitude, his expression indifferent.

He was the last wizard to see Viya.

Viya stood in her own cage and answered.

"I just really wanted to create that version of myself; I didn't want to disappoint my father."

"The teacher is extremely disappointed. Fortunately, your relationship hasn't been fully exposed yet. Otherwise, Nexus would have been able to completely humiliate us."

"No, you don't understand, Alistair. Nectus didn't consider us opponents at all. He didn't even care about us. We're the ones who made him our enemy."

"Shut up, Viya, I didn't come here to listen to you say these things."

Viya looked at him with a sympathetic gaze, then shook her head.

"Alistair, you're still the same."

Alistair was momentarily confused about what Viya was talking about.

"You don't have to be so insecure."

"What did you say?"

Alistair was truly enraged.

"Why do you think I became like this? Do you think I haven't noticed who I am? I grew up in the slums, I watched my friends starve to death, and I finally became who I am today. And now you're trying to erase the marks of my past with just a few words? Drop your arrogance, Viya!"

Alistair rarely talks about his past; he even hopes to forget it and continue being the aloof, proud, and self-assured reading leader.

After a moment, Alistair looked at Via and said.

"Based on our discussion, a permanent surveillance array should be set up in your laboratory. However, I will tamper with it so that you can interfere with the surveillance array, record a video in advance, and still continue doing your own thing."

Why do this?

Alistair didn't know either; he just had this kind of impulse in his heart.

"Anyway, you can't achieve anything. Without the help of a teacher or contact with other wizards, it's practically a pipe dream for you to achieve that perfect life you dream of all by yourself. Letting you dream here will at least reduce some trouble for us."

Thank you very much.

Alistair reached out his hand, not knowing why he had suddenly remembered these things. His memories were flowing wildly, and countless faces appeared before his eyes.

He saw Maximus and the knight named Vitas attacking him because he wanted to kill them.

Then came the monster that Viya created.

Wow, Viya, you actually created such a life!

However, it's still far from perfect.

Alistair knew he was not perfect, and neither were the creatures that could kill him.

But I should be dead.

Alistair looked at his hands, at the person in front of him, and at the magic circle around him.

He recognized the magical flow of the magic circle and the inscriptions on it as the type that could alter a person's body and soul.

Is the person in front of you trying to change themselves?

He quickly thought things through, using his talent and magical thinking to understand the situation in a very short time.

Someone managed to resurrect themselves. Judging from their current state, the one who resurrected them was not a sorcerer, but a necromancer. And if it was a necromancer, then it wasn't a true resurrection, but merely a replay of memories.

But is the re-enactment of memories a kind of resurrection in another sense?

This is not something we should be discussing right now.

The necromancer is probably trying to control himself.

Alistair made his decision in a flash.

He opened his mouth and immediately began to chant.

No one can say for sure how many spells there are in this world, because spells are essentially about changing the world. The world is infinite, and the ways and effects of changing the world are also infinite.

However, there are always some spells that do not require materials, or for those spells, the "gesture" and part of the "incantation" already fall into the category of materials.

Such magic is naturally not very powerful, but in extreme situations, it is the best emergency measure.

"Call upon your life, stir your blood..."

Raphael noticed that the resurrected Alistair had begun chanting a spell, which made him even more panicked. He wanted to speed up the repair of the spell, but he inevitably encountered some difficulties.

Declan noticed this as well, and he stopped what he was doing, which was originally about to escape.

Does this mean the necromancer's control plan failed?

"Alistair - Magic Destruction Technique!"

Alistair cast a spell he had created, a small magical interference spell that used himself as a material to interfere with the external magical energy, thereby disrupting the magical array that was being constructed.

Spells and magic circles are both intricate creations, and such intricate creations are easily destroyed. As a master of magic circles, Alistair can easily find the key to destruction.

"Hey! Wait, I'm the one who resurrected you!"

Raphael looked at Alistair approaching him and couldn't help but call out.

My spell failed! Damn it, my magic circle was destroyed in the previous battle, and a powerful wizard like Alistair was able to exploit the loophole and destroy it.

Damn it, it's all that damned wizard's fault. Where did he come from?

Alistair had already grabbed Raphael by the neck, his other hand poised in a gesture, and he began to chant.

"Damn it, this is troublesome."

Declan immediately prepared to attack, and about ten seconds later, Alistair's spell was completed.

A staff appeared in his hand, and then a new wizard's robe grew on his body.

"Declan? I didn't expect to see you here."

"Alistair, I only recently learned that you are going to be resurrected."

Alistair gripped Raphael's throat tightly.

"Is this person a necromancer?"

"Yes, I think Alistair, who pursues orthodoxy, wouldn't cooperate with a necromancer, right?"

"Yes."

Ignoring Raphael's attempts to break free, Alistair snapped his neck with a sudden twist.

"The new body he created for me is quite strong."

"Yes, but it won't be long before they revert to that weak state due to lack of exercise and irregular diet."

"It's not a wizard's curse, but we can't avoid it. How ridiculous."

Declan nodded in agreement, and the shield between the two and the magic circle on the ground gradually collapsed due to the disappearance of the maintainer and his magic.

Declan flew in the air, while Alistair stood on the ground.

The two actually had no reason to fight each other.

"Did you use a spell without materials? Summon your contract wand."

"Yes, my contract wand stores spells that can teleport my spare wizard robe. My wizard robe has a built-in dimensional pocket containing my materials."

"interesting."

Declan nodded.

"So..."

The two began chanting spells at the same time and released them almost simultaneously.

"Nexus Flame Bombardment".

"Draco's Instant Fortress Construction!"

Hundreds of points of light formed dozens of thick stone walls in front of Alistair, but Declan's fire bombardment technique shattered these stone walls with the shockwaves from the explosions.

When the flames subsided and the last wall appeared with cracks, the two began the next wave of spells.

"Trafalgar Dimensional Fracture Technique!"

"Draco Spatial Anchoring Technique!"

When a spell that can sever space encounters a spell that completely locks space, the two spells collide, and the Space Anchoring spell also prevents either of them from escaping through spatial magic.

Alistair is serious.

Declan's expression turned serious.

Without the suppression of the front row, the only thing that matters is the mastery of magic.

But the biggest problem is that he has already used several spells. His spell slots are thirty-five, and he can only cast a maximum of twenty-five more spells.

But Alistair has just been resurrected, so theoretically he should have more spells left than he does.

There was no time to think; he could sense Alistair chanting a new spell.

For the next half hour or so, the two engaged in intense magical clashes, one spell colliding with another.

The wasteland where they were located was also turned into scorched earth by these spells, full of pits and craters.

Raphael chose this location for his experiment because he anticipated that someone might interfere and a battle might be unavoidable.

At least it can reduce the involvement of ordinary people.

"I never expected you to still be alive."

"I'm my teacher's prized student, after all. Don't think you can easily beat me."

Alistair did not respond; he looked up at the sky.

"I should really thank this necromancer; he seems to have used up one of your trump cards."

"Yes, but I've already used up all his trump cards."

"Seriously, how come someone so young has achieved so much?"

"This was given to me by my teacher. Didn't your teacher give you anything to save your life?"

Declan meant no harm, but Alistair's expression turned ugly.

"You talk too much nonsense, you bastard."