The battlefield was eerily quiet, the echoes of battle now nothing more than a distant hum in the wind. The ground was torn apart, deep cracks running through it like veins, while remnants of the fallen lay scattered across the field.
From the shadows, David, Peter, and Randy finally stepped forward.
Peter let out a low whistle. "That was amazing."
Randy shook his head, still in disbelief. "Yeah, and the way you took control of the battlefield… That was insane."
David, arms crossed, exhaled sharply. "But for a moment there, we thought you were done for."
Saponu stood amidst the wreckage, his breathing steady, Joseph's glowing soul stone still hovering near him. He smirked. "You should know by now… I don't gamble with my life."
Peter chuckled nervously, while Randy let out a short laugh.
But Saponu's expression turned serious. He swept his gaze over the battlefield, his voice cutting through the air like a command.
"Enough about me. Gather all the soul stones."
The three nodded, immediately moving across the wreckage, carefully retrieving the glowing orbs scattered among the fallen.
One by one, they gathered them, their faint, pulsing light casting a soft glow in the ruined battlefield.
Saponu watched as they placed them in a single pile before him. His eyes scanned each stone, studying the energy within. Then, his gaze sharpened.
"Separate the ones that glow brighter," he instructed.
David, Peter, and Randy hesitated for a moment, before carefully shifting through the stones, pulling aside the ones with a stronger radiance.
Monica's.
Richard's.
Epson's.
Thomas's.
Helena's.
Rosamund's.
Each of these stones pulsed with a more intense glow, their energy denser, stronger.
Saponu gestured toward Joseph's soul stone. "Add them to his. Place them on the left."
The stones were aligned beside Joseph's, their combined light casting an eerie luminescence against the battlefield's ruins.
David frowned slightly. "What does this mean?"
Saponu didn't answer immediately. He simply stared at the stones, his expression unreadable.
Then, he exhaled.
"Patience, my boy," he said, his voice steady but firm. "Now, pick a soul stone from the pile on the right."
David hesitated briefly, then reached down, selecting a stone at random. The orb pulsed faintly in his palm, its warmth sending a subtle vibration through his fingers.
Saponu nodded. "Now, try using your necromancy ability to bring it back to life."
David's fingers tightened around the stone. He took a slow breath, focusing inward, searching for the power that lay dormant within him.
"Look deeper," Saponu instructed. "Feel the power within you." Let it rise, let it guide you. And once you feel it—use that feeling to activate it.
David closed his eyes, his breathing steadying. Deep inside, he could sense something—like a quiet hum, a pulse of energy buried within him, waiting to be drawn out.
He latched onto it, willing it to rise.
Then—
He commanded the soul to return.
Nothing happened.
David frowned, tightening his grip on the stone. He focused harder, pushing with his mind, trying to will the soul back into existence.
Still, nothing.
Saponu sighed. "Try again."
David gritted his teeth. He wasn't used to failure—not like that.
"But this time," Saponu continued, "instead of using your mind—try touching it."
David nodded, shifting his strategy. He held the stone in both hands, pressing his fingers against its smooth surface. He let his energy flow through his fingertips, willing the connection to spark.
Silence.
Still, the soul stone remained unchanged.
Saponu exhaled. "Alright. One more time—but now, use words. Say something. Command it."
David furrowed his brows. "Say something?"
Saponu gave a small shrug. "Words have power. Speak it into existence."
David glanced at the stone. He had no idea what to say, but he had to try.
"Come back to life."
The stone remained still.
"Resurrect."
Nothing.
"Materialize."
Silence.
David clenched his jaw. His mind scrambled for the right word—the right phrase.
"Return to me."
"Awaken."
"Reform."
"Live again."
Nothing.
His frustration built. He glared at the stone, then took a deep breath. One last try.
Then, the word came to him.
"Arise."
The moment the word left his lips—
The soul stone reacted.
Its glow intensified, flaring like a small sun in his hands. The energy within surged outward, crackling in the air.
And then—
Before their eyes—
The glowing energy stretched, twisting, shifting—
Until a figure began to form.
As the light settled, the figure became clear. Hassan stood tall, his form fully restored. His dark eyes flickered with awareness as he took his first breath in this new existence.
Then, slowly, he dropped to one knee.
His head bowed slightly, his voice steady yet filled with something unreadable.
"I hear your call… master."
Saponu's lips curled into a satisfied smirk.
"Wonderful."
Peter took a step back, his eyes wide with shock and amusement. "No way… this is insane."
Randy let out a low whistle. "Wow… just wow."
Saponu turned his gaze toward the remaining soul stones. "Now, resurrect the rest on the right."
David hesitated for a moment, then stepped closer to the pile. He took a steady breath, stretching his arms out as if to embrace the energy before him.
Then—
"ARISE."
A glow erupted from the stones, pulsing brighter and brighter. The very air trembled, the ground humming with energy.
One by one, they began to rise.
First—Naomi.
Then—Jonah.
Then—Miriam.
Then—Gideon.
Selene.
Darius.
Isaiah.
And then—seven others.
Figures formed, their bodies materializing from the radiant light, stepping into existence once more.
As the last figure fully formed, a heavy silence fell over the chamber.
Then—at once—every resurrected soul turned to David.
Their eyes, glowing faintly with lingering energy, locked onto him.
And in perfect unison, their voices echoed through the air—deep, reverent, and absolute:
"We heard your call, Master. Your will is ours to fulfill."
The words sent a chill down David's spine.
His breath caught.
His heart pounded.
For a moment, he couldn't tell if it was power or something else entirely settling into his bones.
He exhaled slowly, then took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over the warriors who had risen at his command.
A smirk played on his lips.
"Then let's make this resurrection worth something."