Reincarnated as a Failed Villain: Fallen Angel
Chapter 58 Arc 2 - Rise Of The Dead (Prologue)

Lucas strode away without so much as glancing back at Thomas. His part of the task was done, and he couldn't care less if Thomas managed to reconnect with his estranged pal.

"Time to stretch out my wings," Lucas said, jumping far into the sky.

To learn necromancy, he knew he had to visit his dragon friend, Erath Alcides. After all, who better to teach him these ancient magics than an ancient dragon?

He soared through the sky above the bustling urban landscape, his wings shimmering in the light. He made a beeline for the highest peak and soon spotted a dragon's mana on top of the largest mountain.

"There you are!" He exclaimed after replaceing the dragon.

He flew to that mountain and found Erath sleeping.

"All this stupid lizard does is sleep. What the hell!" He yelled out as he slammed his foot against the dragon's limb.

Erath jolted awake, his eyes shooting open.

"Y-You again..." Dragon awkwardly raised his head. "What do you want now?" Erath slowly stood up.

"To ask you for a favor!~" Lucas answered playfully. Lucas tried to act as cute as possible. "Could you help me out? Please?!~"

Erath examined Lucas, who spoke with the innocence of a child yet was aware that this was all an act. Erath knew Lucas could kill him if he felt like it, viewing him as a monster. He had noticed in their previous fights that Lucas had been holding back, leading him to wonder what someone as powerful as an angel would want from him.

Erath's scaly brows furrowed as he leaned forward, his hands clasped tightly in his lap. He cleared his throat before letting out a careful breath and asking, "So tell me. What do you want?" The question hung in the air, thick with suspicion and worry.

Lucas' eyes lit up with a mischievous sparkle, and he blurted out, "Necromancy!"

Erath stumbled back in shock at the request, his face contorting with confusion and disbelief.

"Yes! I want to learn necromancy!" Lucas said, barely able to contain his enthusiasm. He was practically bouncing with excitement.

Erath scratched his head. He hadn't expected such a request. "Are you sure? Necromantic magic has been banned in many realms for thousands of years. There's no way you can study it."

"Nah, it's only banned in the Holy kingdom. The main reason I was exiled to the Elemental kingdom is that my angelic mana is very similar to necromantic mana." Lucas said nonchalantly. "Luckily for me, it would work if I want to learn it."

"Well, that's true ..." Erath frowned. "I could give you a quick lesson... If you want."

"Thanks!" Lucas replied enthusiastically.

The thought of mastering the art of necromancy had crept into his mind when he met Lilith's father, Isaac. He knew that Isaac had the power to bring back the dead and wondered if he himself had that power, even as an angel. If he did, the sky would be the limit if he had the ability to restore the dead and give them a bit of his strength so that they could gain retribution for themselves. In this way, he could remain in school with Lilith and Sarah without arousing suspicion and exact justice for the wronged.

"Alright." Erath sighed and reluctantly determined he had to appease the angel. He elected to instruct him in a spell he knew for reviving the dead. He began by giving an overview of necromancy's principles and workings.

"First, you won't be actually reviving the exact person. It's more like you active a robot... Or a puppet. " Erath explained, using his finger to draw a circle in mid-air. "Your own mana will control that thing. You control it by giving your will to it."

"So I don't resurrect them?" Lucas asked curiously.

"Not exactly. That's only possible for gods." Erath paused and smiled, "To do that, you need to stop a person from reincarnating. To resurrect a person, you need to have the deceased's soul."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, "I need to keep a soul in the body to resurrect them?"

"Indeed. Gods can summon the souls and forcefully fuse them with their former bodies." Erath explained, "But unlike gods, the only power over souls angels have is ... Souls' punishment."

Lucas tilted his head at Earth's words in interest. 'Souls' punishment?' he looked at the dragon curiously and asked. "What's that?"

Wrath coughed awkwardly and answered. "You can torment corrupted souls and send them to hell."

Lucas mulled over the idea of whether it was possible to call up spirits from hell. If it was possible for him to send them there, there might be a way of bringing them back.

He sat still and thought, his forehead creased in concentration. After a few moments, he spoke up, his voice loud in the silent chamber. "Dragon," he said, "explain to me the process of how to do it."

Dragon nodded his head and began to search the ancient texts lining the walls.

"Alright." Dragon nodded and started explaining the process. "From blood, you must create a pentagram sigil around the dead body. You also need a strong mana catalyst to hold the mana inside."

Dragon then explained how to use mana to bring the dead back to life. As long as the dark mana was strong enough, it should work. However, the amount of mana required was immense.

"The bodies themselves will keep all the blessings, mana, and physical strength they acquired in their lives. But your own mana will strongly influence it. " Dragon continued explaining. "Knowing how powerful your angelic mana is... You might create heroic-level undead."

Lucas tilted his chin up and arched an eyebrow. "Anything else I should know?" he asked. "Will the undead be distorted in any way?" He felt a bit anxious that the zombies he was going to command might not appear the same.

"No. As long as you have a strong catalyst for mana, your bodies will be as good as new. In fact, even better than in their original lives."

The corners of Lucas's mouth curled into a smirk as he imagined the terror that would come over the sinners when their victims, now ghosts, came to take their lives.

"What are you planning?" Erath peered at Lucas in puzzlement as Lucas's face contorted into a mischievous grin while his mind raced.

"Just some wholesome thoughts." Lucas grinned widely and tilted his head at the dragon. "Thanks for the pointers. I'll head back now."

"Wait!" Erath suddenly called out. Lucas paused on his way out and turned around.

"Be careful. If you use too much mana, you'll probably end up creating angelic mutants." Erath said worriedly.

Lucas gave the dragon a warm smile, "Don't worry!~"

Lucas soared through the sky, the wind whipping his hair and clothes, and a satisfied grin stretched across his face. He wondered how he should use his necromancy powers. He decided to start by preventing crime, so he flew towards the largest building of the city and hovered in the air, scanning the streets below for any signs of trouble.

Soon, he noticed a group of bandits mugging an old man. Lucas smiled.

"I found some test subjects!~ he yelled out cheerfully before diving off the building. His wings suddenly appeared, and he glided swiftly toward the commotion. As he came directly above them, his wings disappeared, and he dropped quickly toward them.

He landed on the ground and walked towards the group of thugs, who suddenly turned to face him, their eyes filled with greed when they saw him.

"Hey, kid. Hand over your money." The leading man pulled out a knife from his pocket, a smirk on his face, "I bet you wouldn't even make it out of this alley alive. We might spare you if you give us your money and leave."

Lucas gave a light chuckle, 'These people don't understand that a person who fell from the sky might be dangerous.' his face was cold and unreadable as he asked, "Hah... Is that so?~"

He took a step forward while releasing a massive amount of mana into the air, causing the thugs to take several steps back in shock. A bolt of lightning hit the thug holding the knife, sending him flying through the air; his cry was cut short as he hit a wall and fell to the ground with a dull thud. He coughed up blood.

"No. No. No. You have to die to be my test subject!~" Lucas unfurled his wings and, with a single powerful thrust, shot a glossy black feather arrow at the thug.

The thug grunted in agony but suddenly felt a feathery object enter his skull, ending his life instantly.

The other thugs were wide-eyed in fright and started running away as fast as they could. Lucas flapped his wings and gave chase. In his mind, he had already planned how to use the dead he would acquire.

"Don't worry; I will use your bodies well!~" The aura of power that surrounded him pulsated with malice.