Death was often associated with evil, treated as though it were inherently bad.
But it wasn’t.
To put it simply,
it was just another part of life.
All things eventually came to an end.
Even immortality was a fallacy—
unless, of course, one was a true god.
Of course, such lofty philosophy was far from Michael’s current understanding.
Even as a Necromancer, he still viewed death as a bad thing.
A true practitioner of death would embrace it fully.
Then again, that was a true practitioner.
Anyone could practice something and excel at it, but grasping its true essence was rare.
Without systematic training or mentorship, almost everything Michael knew about the supernatural was self-taught.
Even now, he wasn’t certain if “death energy” was the correct term, but sensing the familiar aura between him and those two men made it feel appropriate.
Michael had read on forums that the panel only awakeners could see served more as a summary of one’s abilities than a comprehensive list.
Now, he fully understood a part of it.
Because, nowhere on the forum did it mention that an Awakener Necromancer could hear voices from something as ethereal as “energy.”
“Why does their energy feel so evil?”
In truth, Michael already had an inkling of why that might be the case.
He simply didn’t want to accept it. Both
Michaels—the one from Earth and the one from this world, though the former was more experienced in life—hadn’t encountered truly dark forces.
Almost all supernaturals had blood on their hands, partly from slaying monsters, which meant nearly all of them carried a trace of death energy. This imbued them with a unique presence that other supernaturals could sense.
However, as a Necromancer, Michael was more attuned to certain energies than even those stronger than him.
Which was the reason this time the energy surrounding those two Supernaturals stood out way more to him as it was different.
Despite his inner tremors, Michael proceeded with his plan.
[Undead Phantom Morpho Lv. 2]
[Rank: Common★★★]
—
[Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Moth Lv. 2]
[Rank: Common★★★]
—
Just as the panel didn’t reveal the full capabilities of an Awakener, it often fell short when assessing monsters.
Take Michael’s Spectral Ant, for example.
One would be in serious trouble if they approached it assuming the panel showed all it was capable of, only to be met with its two-ton strength.
The same applied to his Undead Phantom Morpho and Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Moth.
Both were illusionary creatures that seemed like illusions themselves even without using their skills.
Of course, with their current strength, it was relatively easy for a powerful supernatural to detect them despite their racial abilities.
However, the key was whether that supernatural cared enough to pay attention.
In this scenario, the weakness of the two undead became Michael’s strength—or rather, his perfect tools for spying on the suspicious ones.
The small size of the Undead Phantom Morpho and the Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Moth was also a significant advantage.
“Go.”
Michael commanded the two undead, and they flew away from him towards the hotel building’s exit, which also served as the entrance.
Strangely, although the two flying undead were small in size—much like butterflies—when they passed in front of someone, it seemed as if they couldn’t be seen, creating an eerie situation.
******
The moment the two undead left him, Michael activated his skill, {Share Senses}, without hesitation.
At its basic mastery, the skill allowed him to link to the senses of two undead within a 100-meter radius, which suited him perfectly.
His current abilities only let him control undead within a 300-meter range, and the farther they were, the weaker his control became.
For now, 100 meters was the sweet spot—assuming the targets remained within range.
Those two are strong, Michael thought as his senses flared.
However, he didn’t feel an overwhelming threat.
He estimated that he could handle either one individually, but taking them both down at once would be a challenge.
Not that it mattered.
Michael was never the type to fight solo.
He was a Necromancer—an exceptional one at that.
The Undead Phantom Morpho and Undead Spicebush Swallowtail Moth flitted out of the hotel, with Michael trailing behind them.
Relying on his enhanced senses to “navigate,” he moved as though he could see everything clearly.
His previous runs to and from the Supers Association branch had taught him how much he could trust his senses.
His sensory perception was sharpest within a 20-meter radius, and for day-to-day use, this was more than enough.
Although this was his first time using his senses in such a scenario, he wielded the ability as naturally as if he’d been born with it.
By moving in sync with his undead, Michael ensured he stayed within the optimal range where {Share Senses} worked seamlessly.
*****
It had been more than 200 years since the Dark Age, when monsters reigned and demonic supernaturals ran rampant.
Now, two centuries later, the world was far more at peace and had even surpassed its pre-Dark Age state in terms of technological and societal advancement—or so most people in Aurora believed.
However, only a select few knew the truth.
The dangers of the past hadn’t disappeared. If anything, they had grown stronger.
Most ordinary citizens didn’t even know what a demonic cultivator was.
This ignorance was largely due to the Federation’s efforts to keep such matters under wraps, often attributing incidents involving demonic cultivators to sudden cracks or crack outbreaks—much to the frustration of the demonic faction.
Even after 200 years, Aurora remained divided into three main factions.
The Righteous Faction, the Demonic Faction, and the Neutral Faction.
However, in reality, traces of each faction could be found within the others.
The Federation was the public representative of the Righteous Faction.
Though primarily focused on protecting the innocent and maintaining order, some members secretly engaged in practices considered morally gray.
The Demonic Faction, despite its foundation in chaos and the pursuit of power through darker means, had individuals who adopted more moderate methods. Some even harbored twisted yet righteous tendencies.
The Neutral Faction, dedicated to maintaining balance, often housed individuals with personal ties to both the Righteous and Demonic Factions.
These crossovers made the political landscape of Aurora complex and fraught with hidden agendas.
All of this was far removed from Michael’s current concerns.
His future remained unpredictable, but tonight would mark the first time he dabbled in the deep waters of his new world.
If there was one thing demonic cultivators sought, it was power—and the freedom to wield it and get it without restraint.
They saw themselves as superior beings, destined to rule, submitting only to the stronger fist.
Yet, they lived worse than the weak they so despised.
Since their emergence, demonic supernaturals had been suppressed repeatedly, their struggle resembling that of hyenas against Lions.
However, after years of suppression and enduring defeat, they were finally ready to return in force.
It took Michael some time to adjust to the vision of his undead Phantom Morpho and Spicebush Swallowtail Moth.
Though still limited to a monochrome world, connecting to their sight felt like viewing the world in 360 degrees through countless cameras.
The dual connection made it even more disorienting.
Fortunately, Michael’s high intelligence provided him with the computational power to handle it.
After a while, he managed to make sense of the dual vision filled with multiple angles.
Fortunately, It seemed the suspicious duo’s activities were confined to the hotel’s surroundings, not far away.
If they truly intended to leave, Michael knew there was little he could do to stop them.
Following the duo, Michael studied their movements to try and discern what they planned to do.
He quickly noticed something odd.
Almost every few meters, the two dropped an odd-looking object on the floor in a specific pattern.
When Michael first saw it, he quickly used {Detect} on the oddly shaped item that looked like a stone.
[Demon remains]
A remnant of the flesh of a low-level demon.
“Demon? Remains?”
The two items together didn’t seem like a good thing.
What was worse was that in his hesitation to find out whether he should pick up whatever it was in front of him, the remains of the demon seemed to dissolve into the ground and disappeared.
It didn’t only happen once.
As Michael continued to trail after the two suspicious individuals, the same experience he had with the first one made Michael feel a little scared yet very apprehensive towards touching the demon remains.
It didn’t really seem like a bright idea to touch them, but it also didn’t seem like a good idea to let those two continue as it didn’t seem like they were up to good things.
At least, he didn’t see anything good from their actions.
Throwing some sort of monster remains was enough suspicion that these two were definitely not doing community service.
However, stopping them in public, even at night when there were still quite a number of people on the road, and even without this, a larger number of people residing in the buildings around them, might lead to a fight that would cause public destruction, which was something Michael didn’t want.
For a moment, he was conflicted.