Chapter 87: The Undead Witch

“Good afternoon, Senior Mephist.”

Jiang Cha was always very quick to act. After leaving Annie’s little shop, she immediately arranged to meet this client.

The Camilla Entertainment Cup would be held in just half a month. Even if Jiang Cha didn’t participate, she needed to give Mephist a prompt reply.

“Good afternoon, Jiang Cha. I’ll be troubling you again this time.”

“This is a legitimate commission, so it’s not a trouble at all. But I am curious—why did Senior Mephist think of inviting me to compete?”

Jiang Cha felt that her only real strength was her versatility. She had a basic understanding of the five major sub-disciplines and the six major magical schools.

But that also meant she was a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Although her innate magic gave her extremely high calculation ability, letting her select the optimal spell in complex battles, in front of witches who specialized in one school, her power seemed relatively immature.

So she was genuinely curious why Mephist chose her instead of other strong teammates of the same grade.

“You seem anxious… but actually, I’m anxious too. So let’s skip the formalities and get straight to business.”

Even while saying she’d skip unnecessary pleasantries, Mephist exuded elegance, giving no hint of perfunctory behavior. Classic aristocratic witch poise.

“I myself am a dual-specialist in the Transformation and Mentalism schools. Though I am far from the level of my predecessors, the combination of these two schools has almost no drawbacks.”

This was indeed true. The Transformation school is famously second in offensive power. Its various powerful transformation forms and buff spells make it versatile in combat, capable in both ranged and melee, and even in balanced tactics. The Mentalism school is known for versatility, able to handle problems across multiple domains. Combined with Mephist’s alchemical expertise, her comprehensiveness could rival even Jiang Cha’s. This is a very typical choice for an aristocratic witch.

“But my other teammate…”

Here, the white-haired, dyed-luxurious young lady let out a small sigh.

“She specializes in Necromancy.”

“Huh?”

Jiang Cha tilted her head in disbelief.

“Yes. I have a friend who specializes in Necromancy. Her strength is immense—even most Great Witches cannot defeat her in battle. She’s so strong that, for the sake of victory, I could not give up the idea of inviting her to join our team. But… you know, Jiang Cha, the drawback of this school is enormous.”

The Necromancy school represents death among the six major magical schools. Although it is one of the six, almost no witch specializes in it. Most witches study it only as a supplement when learning other schools.

The reason, as Mephist said, is that its disadvantages are huge—so significant that the Council of Sages has considered removing it from the six-school classification multiple times. But every time, the great sages vetoed it.

Because it represents death, its importance in the pursuit of truth is on par with other magical schools.

The specific drawbacks?

First, if a witch specializes in Necromancy, upon reaching Sage level, she must transform herself into an undead being—a Necromantic Witch, another branch of the witch race.

This transformation introduces a fatal weakness even for witches resistant to all attacks, with almost no compensatory strengthening. The reduction in combat power would be bad enough, but as a Necromantic Witch, even her magical nature changes, obstructing her path to ultimate truth.

There is only one Grand Sage of the Necromancy school. Most witches who like the school choose to first reach Sage level using another school before attempting Necromancy at the Grand Sage level. Starting with Necromancy is essentially walking the path of the Death Lord—completely giving up the pursuit of omniscience and omnipotence. Most young witches don’t even consider it as a minor study during their academy years.

“That senior… she’s really rebellious. But even if Necromancy has drawbacks, is that enough reason to choose me? Couldn’t she just pick a senior from the Mysticism school, or a dual-specialist in Creation and Shaping?”

“That would be nice and simple… but it’s not that simple,” Mephist sighed again.

Honestly, in all their acquaintance, this was the first time Jiang Cha had seen her sigh. Even for a Great Witch, it looked somewhat pitiable and charming, though it didn’t suit her usual confident, elegant aura.

“The reality is, she isn’t just a specialist in Necromancy… she is a Necromantic Witch herself.”

“!!?”

What!? Jiang Cha had to process that. No wonder there are still witches specializing in Necromancy—if she’s already a Necromantic Witch, it made sense Mephist said her combat power could resist Great Witches.

A Necromantic Witch’s progression in Necromancy is unmatched by ordinary witches. It’s a perfect racial adaptation developed jointly by the First Sage and the Grand Sage for the path to omniscience and omnipotence through death. Once transformed, her endpoint is essentially the ultimate Necromantic Sage—but no further. Even the Second Sage, the only Grand Sage capable of challenging the First Sage, has found no further solution.

“Necromantic Witches can’t have children, right?”

Who knows. Mephist shrugged; her expression clearly indicated she didn’t know—or couldn’t say.

“The only Necromantic Witch capable of bearing offspring… holy—”

Jiang Cha couldn’t help swearing. She didn’t dare think further.

“Yes. That’s correct. But just keep it to yourself. Don’t speak it out. In our multiverse, witches have many enemies; her identity must remain secret.”

Mephist raised a finger, emphasizing her serious warning.

“This is explosive… so the reason you specifically chose me as the final puzzle piece is because of her, huh? Surely her identity alone isn’t enough incentive?”

“She just wants to play. As for why she chose you… it’s actually simple. From the beginning, the design didn’t consider Necromantic Witches having children. Although she is now sixteen, her mind is still that of a child. Her growth is extremely slow; she is essentially immortal.”

“She’s strong, but to win the championship, we need someone proficient in Necromancy, with enough command experience, who can focus on directing her teammates in complex battles.”

“I thought for a long time, and the only one who meets these conditions is you, Jiang Cha.”